The Fifteenth Member
by MarluCosplayer13
Summary: Organization XII has a new member; number XV. She doesn't know much about herself, but with another betrayal in the Organization, will she ever find out? Follow up of The Fourteenth Member by Andrew the Pichu that has Fire... OC/Marluxia kinda-ish
1. Chapter 1

The Fifteenth Member

A/N: This is a follow up of the story The Fourteenth Member by Andrew the Pichu that has Fire. We both wrote our own versions of the same story, but her story happens first (about a week before mine takes place). She has writer's block right now and I write much faster than she does ('cause I'm awesome), so hers wont be updated anytime soon (mine most likely won't be either). And FYI, for those who haven't actually _played_ KH2 (including me) Marluxia is pronounced Mar-loo-sha (I always get mad when people pronounce his name wrong because he is so awesomely epic).

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, the world would be in chaos.

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

I could feel myself lying on a stone ground. How had I gotten here? I struggled to remember, but the only thing I could recall was screaming and everything fading to black. And pain. I had been in terrible agony.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a clear blue sky. I sat up and noticed that all around me was hedges and tons of plants. There were four entry places and many flower beds with tulips, roses, belladonnas, and so many other flowers that I couldn't possibly name. I walked over to the tulips and sat there studying the plants for what seemed like hours. My black hair kept bothering me, so I instinctively reached for a hair tie on my wrist when I realized that I didn't have one.

I looked down, noticing my clothes for the first time. I was wearing worn out dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and black sneakers. The only jewelry I had was a simple silver bracelet. Oddly, I don't remember ever having it, but then again, I can't even remember my own name right now, so that kinda defeats the purpose.

I nearly jumped a mile in the air when I heard someone say, "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Two people wearing matching cloaks and gloves walked into the entrance opposite of me. The first was a blonde woman about the same height as me. Her shoulder length hair was slicked back except for two strands that stuck up like antennae on a bug. She smirked and stared at me with teal eyes.

The second person was about a head taller with pink hair. I was shocked when I realized that the second person was actually a _guy_. He was cute though. His blue eyes that mirrored the sky looked at me with curiosity. The pair of them seemed to be around the same age as me.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded. I tore my gaze from the man to look at her.

"I don't know," I said truthfully and shrugged. The woman sauntered over to me.

"Stop lying. Tell us who you really are before I _slit your throat_!" All of a sudden, little knives (I think they're called kunai) appeared in her hands. She threw one at me and I dodged, but not before it sliced my left wrist. I jumped up and took off my bracelet to inspect the damage while still keeping an eye on the man and woman.

The man looked like he disapproved, but the woman had a sadistic smile. The wound was bleeding, but the cut didn't seem very deep. I glared at the woman, wishing I had a knife so I could slit _her_ throat. No sooner had I thought that when I felt something replace the bracelet in my right hand.

I looked incredulously to my hand to see a knife where my bracelet had been a second ago. I looked up at the shocked faces of the two strangers. This made no sense. Magic doesn't exist. How was this possible? The woman looked livid, and I realized that (1) I most likely had no chance in a fight against her, and (2) I was totally blowing the whole first impression thing.

"I- I swear, I don't know what's going on! I don't know how that happened. I just woke up here. I don't know who I am or what's going on." Not the best explanation, but it just might save me from becoming a shish ka-bob. A moment of silence and then-

"_Liar_!" The woman lunged toward me with her knives, but the man ran forward and held her back. The woman resisted until a pink and green scythe appeared in the man's hands. For the first time today, the man spoke, and there was a certain way that he talked, almost melodious.

"Don't make me, Larxene. She's obviously a new member. You can either join me to take her to the Superior, or you can go away." I can understand why the woman (Larxene, did he say?) did what he said. He sounded deadly, and I would hate to be on the receiving end of his anger. Surprisingly, the woman, Larxene, just gave a big huff, made a big black void, and disappeared into it.

If I were her, I would've been frozen in my tracks, afraid to disobey and maybe even further anger this man. His voice sounded like ice, cold and sharp, like he wanted to cut her with words instead of actions. Instead of doing the smart thing and running away, I just stood there staring wide-eyed at the man like an idiot.

"That's a portal," he explained in a perfectly friendly voice. "You can make them to travel instantly from place to place. You'll learn how to make them eventually. Oh, by the way, my name is Marluxia, number XI in Organization XIV. XV now, I suppose."

He had a nice voice; soothing if you really listened to it. It had been cold before, which led me to think that maybe he didn't really like this Larxene person. He sounded warm now, like melting honey. Not to mention, this was really confusing me. Where did the scythe and the knives come from? I mean, the knives could be easily concealed, but there's _no way_ Larxene could've gotten them in between her fingers _that_ fast and _not_ hurt herself in the process. And the scythe was as tall as Marluxia _himself_! How could he have hidden _that_? I nodded slowly, pretending that I knew perfectly well what was going on, when really I had no idea whatsoever.

"Come with me," Marluxia beckoned. I stayed put. Why should I trust a complete stranger, especially if it's a _guy_? Instead of complying with him, I decided to ask one of the many questions bubbling around in my mind.

"Could you explain this to me?" I asked, "Because to be honest with you, I have no idea what's going on right now."

"Do you know what a Heartless is?"

"Yeah, they're little creatures that steal human hearts," I replied. I had no idea where this conversation was going. What did Heartless have to do with me being here?

As if reading my mind, Marluxia said, "Well, when you were human, a Heartless attacked you and stole your heart. You are one of the select few that becomes a Nobody. A Nobody is a person without a heart and our organization works to kind Kingdom Hearts to restore our hearts once more." He sounded like he was quoting this out of a book. What was up with that? I decided to shrug it off and ask something else.

"And how do you know if you're a Nobody?" I questioned.

"Check for a pulse." I was about to check when I realized I was still holding a knife.

"Umm, here." One thing I _can_ remember: I'm clumsy and notorious for accidently hurting myself and bruising easily. I handed the knife to Marluxia, but the second I let go of it, the knife turned back into a bracelet.

"How strange," Marluxia murmured. Strange? _Strange?_ _What_ is going on here? I mean, I know I'm new to this all, but could Marluxia _at least_ explain _why_ he's not freaking out as much as I am right now? I was about to start yelling when he started talking again.

"I believe we have found your weapon." _What_ was he talking about? Obviously, I'm in the dark because his little statements make no sense _at all_. If they do to you, please tell me, 'cause I seriously don't know.

"What weapon?" I asked, trying to clarify.

"Oh, every organization member has a certain power and weapon. My weapon is the scythe you saw earlier and my power is plants," Marluxia explained. He handed me my bracelet back, and it was then that I noticed his scythe had disappeared. Wow, zone out much? How could I have _not_ noticed it wasn't there anymore?

Marluxia snapped his fingers, and a perfect red tulip appeared in his hand. He offered it to me, but when I touched it, there was a buzzing sound and the tulip grew black and charred. I drew my hand away quickly, staring shamefully up at him.

"I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to!" Instead of saying anything (which only made me feel even worse), Marluxia slowly inspected the now dead flower.

"Hold out your hand." He sounded no-nonsense, and if I was being honest with myself, I was still partly scared of him from the scene with Larxene. I did as he said, and he took of one of his gloves, holding my wrist in the other hand. He lightly brushed his bare fingertips over my palm, and almost instantly yanked his hand back.

"What? What is it?" I asked. He was freaking me out, the way he let go of me and immediately put his glove back on. Was there something wrong with me? I mean, I'm pretty sure I'd _know_ if there was something wrong with me, but when I feel completely fine and get a reaction like that, I start to get frantic.

"You shocked me. This is going to cause terrible problems," Marluxia replied.

"Why would it cause problems?" Marluxia ignored my question and kept talking. "However, it seems you are slightly different. I've never felt an electric current _that_ strong before. Unless… Oh, it must be!"

It seemed that Marluxia was talking more to himself than to me. Antisocial much? Or is it just that he's so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he doesn't hear me? Whatever.

"Anyway, come along…umm-"

"Xelxa," I said automatically. Wait where did _that_ come from? But I was almost certain that that was my name. Marluxia looked at me sceptically and raised a thin eyebrow.

"Spell it."

"X-E-L-X-A. It's pronounced Zel-uh," I said without thinking. Marluxia nodded slowly.

"I'm guessing your name used to be Lexa?" he guessed. I thought about it for a second. It just didn't sound right. What about if you switched the letters? You would get… I smiled and shook my head.

"Nope. Alex," I replied.

"Cute. I like Alex better." I felt my face getting warm. Was I… blushing? I held my head down so my hair covered most of my face as we walked in silence.

Why was I _blushing_? Was it just because some cute guy that I just met complimented me? I don't even _know_ the guy! And he didn't even say I was pretty, he just said he liked my old name. So why this weird reaction?

I was so fixated at staring at the ground that I didn't notice that we were about to enter this huge white castle. Why I never noticed it before, don't ask me. I was probably too busy being confused by a complete stranger to pay attention to what was actually _outside_ of the maze.

"Xelxa, put your head up." We had stopped outside of the closed castle doors, and I peered out at Marluxia behind the hair covering the right side of my face. Marluxia had turned around and was scrutinizing me.

"Stand up straight, Xelxa. People will start the emo jokes the second they see you." I sighed and stood up straight, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Better," he said with a smile. "Now it's time to meet the Superior."

Whoa. Were these people weird or what? Who was the Superior, capital "S"? Did Marluxia and Larxene work for some kind of gang leader? The Superior sounded like some bald mafia dude that always has bodyguards and carried a mini machine gun in his pinstriped jacket. The kind of guy that wears way too much cologne and has so many gold chains and rings that he sparkles when he walks in a room. Kinda like what's-his-name on that show The Sopranos. Or was it Mob Wives?

I lost my train of thought when we stepped into the castle. Everything was all posh and white. The stupid part of me wondered how much their cleaning service cost, because everything was sparkling white. Like hospital white. So clean that even _misophobes_ (person that's afraid of germs) would consider eating off the floor. Yeah. It's _that_ white.

Everything was really pretty, but all the whiteness got really boring really quick, so I decided to start playing with my bracelet, which, thankfully, was silver and not white. I imagined the knife from earlier, and instantly got it. I thought about Marluxia's scythe and how it'd be _way_ cooler if it was gray and black. The knife grew bigger, and soon it was the scythe that I had imagined!

"Ohmygod!" I screamed, and it dropped to the floor with a clang.

"What-" Marluxia saw the scythe and then looked at me. "Did- did you…?"

I nodded slowly and picked up the scythe. I half-heartedly wondered what would happen if it was a bazooka, and suddenly I was holding one. A dude that had long black hair with gray streaks in a ponytail and a scar on his right cheek walked around the corner and said irritably, "Would you keep it down?"

The second his amber eyes (I mean eye, he was wearing a eye patch over his left eye. Total pirate wannabe.), landed on me, he screamed like a girl and hid behind Marluxia.

"W-who is _THAT_?" he screeched. Marluxia rolled his eyes.

"New member." We stood there for a few seconds in silence before I realized my bazooka was making the pirate guy nervous.

"Oh, sorry." I transformed the bazooka back into a bracelet before slipping back onto my wrist. I gave pirate guy a hesitant smile before stepping toward him and offering my hand.

"Hello. My name is Xelxa." The pirate dude composed his features to a cool and casual look and shook my hand.

"The name's Xigbar. I'm number II in this organization, so you have to follow orders from me." I could see a wicked glint in Xigbar's eye, and I knew that he was probably some kind of loser that only played video games in his spare time. I smiled sweetly but stayed quiet, because I wasn't quite sure what to do. Marluxia looked kinda uncomfortable too, but he looked like he was having a hard time covering it up.

"Well, I'm just gonna, y'know go find Luxord or something'. See ya 'round, Xelxa."

Xigbar portalled away, leaving me alone with Marluxia once again.

"Is he some kinda pirate wannabe? Because seriously, all he was missing was a talking parrot saying 'Polly wanna cracker?' and a hook paired with a peg leg. How'd he lose his eye anyway?"

"We don't talk about it," Marluxia said quietly. What was so bad that this guy lost his eye? On second thought, I don't think I want to know.

"Superior's office is right over here," Marluxia said as we rounded the corner. He knocked on an ornate door and a tall man with long, deep blue hair and an x-shaped scar on his face stepped out, and you could tell he was really pale. He had orange eyes and a wild look about him, like any minute he could snap. He scared me. I wanted to bolt right then, but tried to keep my cool, because what about first impressions. A part of my mind whispered but _didn't I already fail at that?_ Shut up mind. The man was about to speak to Marluxia when he noticed me standing behind him.

"And who are you?" he asked in a cold, rough voice. I looked fearfully up at Marluxia, who winked at me, and then back at the stranger, who was even taller than Marluxia. If I had thought Marluxia was scary when he was mad, this guy had such a creepy vibe that I wanted to immediately hide. Instead, I swallowed my fear and gave what I hoped was a confident smile and willed my voice not to waver.

"I'm Xelxa. How do you do?" The man looked taken aback by my politeness, like he expected me to give a sarcastic comment and insult him (I feel a nickname coming… Scarface). He actually gave a small smile (yes! Score one for Xelxa!) and announced grandly, "I am Saix, number VII in this organization."

"Well, it was wonderful to meet you Mr. Saix!" I said cheerfully. Maybe it was like with wolves, where they can smell your fear. I didn't think that the case with Scarface here because he didn't seem all alpha-like where he exerts his dominance by acting all "holier than thou."

"It was nice to meet you too," Saix said. As he was walking away, I could've sworn I heard him muttering to himself about "finally getting the respect I deserve." (Score two for Xelxa!) I think he kinda liked being called Mr. Saix.

Marluxia walked into the office and I followed behind timidly. Not that I was _scared_ or anything, but it's not everyday that you meet a mafia/gang leader. The man sitting behind the desk wasn't like anything what I imagined the "Superior" to look like. I thought he would be short, fat, and balding with many concealed knives and a New Jersey accent.

Instead, he was tall thin, and well cared for. He had long silver hair (not gray. It was _shiny_ silver) and orange eyes, almost _exactly_ like Xigbar and Saix's eyes. He had a serious air about him and his presence filled up the room. A complete _stranger_ could tell that he ran this organization. I stopped and kind of hid behind Marluxia, which was pretty easy since he was bigger than me. The Superior sighed and looked boredly at Marluxia.

"What did Larxene do _this_ time that is _so_ important you have to interrupt my work?" I was _sooo _glad I wasn't Marluxia right then. I just kept quiet and waited for Marluxia to explain to Superior the Problem That Is Me. He stepped to the side and the Superior's gaze landed on me. I could tell he was trying to decide what to make of me, and really, I was doing the same thing to him. I was just being more discreet about it.

"Did you check?" He had a cruel, demanding voice. It made me think of a little bully, who thinks he can boss everyone around just because he's the biggest or just because he was the first one there.

"Not yet," Marluxia said. I was afraid to look over at him because I didn't want the Superior to think that I relied on other people. I wanted him to know that I was independent and could take care of myself.

"Hand. Palm up. Now," he demanded. Pushy much? I held out my hand, but right before the Superior touched it, Marluxia spoke up.

"I would put on gloves, Superior. If you don't, it could be quite-" he chuckled "-shocking." Superior ignored him and grabbed my wrist, but was blasted back against the wall behind his desk with a huge bang.

"Told you so," Marluxia said smugly, and it was then that I realized his thinly veiled pun. I did a face-palm. Retard.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, XI," the Superior said haughtily. I said nothing because I suspected Superior was the type of person that wanted people like me to be seen and not heard. Superior put on gloves and cautiously touched my hand. He wasn't blown back this time, so I guess he took it as a good sign and checked for a pulse. He then stood up and addressed me for the first time.

"Welcome to Organization XV. You will be number XV. My name is Xemnas, but you will address me as Superior." Xemnas rummaged in his desk and brought out a cloak and gloves. The same cloak and gloves that everyone else in the organization wore, I assumed. Everyone I had met wore the exact same thing. I pulled on the cloak and gloves.

"My name is Xelxa. It would be an honor to work for your organization, and I gladly accept the role of number XV." Wow. I never thought I was this good of a liar.

Xemnas nodded curtly. "You'll meet the rest of the organization at dinner tonight. Marluxia will be your guide and will prep you for everyday life here at the castle." He then looked at Marluxia. "You are dismissed."

So I guess Xemnas _isn't _a mafia leader. It might've been so much interesting if he was. I looked over at Marluxia, and he led the way into the hallway. The second I stepped out of the doorway, a terrible pain erupted in my head.

I resisted the urge to cry out as I fell to my knees. I started to cry tears of pain as Marluxia ran over to me, trying to figure out what was wrong. I couldn't take it anymore, and surrendered to the darkness, devoid of everything.

End of Chapter 1

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><p>Thanks so much for reading my first chapter! Oh, and if you have <em>any<em> questions, don't hesitate to review and ask them. I can't private message, so _I'll_ find _you_ (kind of like what happens when you Google Chuck Norris), review one of your stories, _and_ include the answer to your question! See this button down here? It says review. You know you wanna push it! I'll take all comments, but please no cuss words. XD


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey there! Hopefully you like my story so far! I created such suspense! I bet you want to read this _so_ bad! I hope I did a better job in making my paragraphs a bit longer and not so confusing. Please tell me if I did okay on it. BTW, for future reference, francium is the second rarest and one of the most radioactive and unstable elements in the world. Anyway, we're going to have a few more characters in this chapter and I hope you all like it! Chapter 2, coming your way!

Disclaimer: I'll own Kingdom Hearts when I marry Marluxia… Never gonna happen :(

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

When I came to my senses, I was incredibly cold, even in my new cloak. The castle hadn't been this cold before, I don't think, so it made no sense why I felt like I was going to freeze to death. If they had sent me to some lab in Antarctica, I was going to have to kick some butt. I opened my eyes and found myself laying down, staring at the stainless steel ceiling above me. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. I was on a metal lab table in some kind of laboratory. The theme song for the old television show Dexter's Laboratory flashed through my head.

A girl was sitting on a lab table to my left looking at me. She had her arms behind her, propping herself up because her legs were straight out in front of her. She was _really_ pale, almost as white as paper, which contrasted greatly with her waist-length black hair. If I was right, she was about 5 foot 3 and really close to my age. But what was most shocking about her was her eyes. They were _violet_. Not just some royal purple either. It was a mix between fuchsia and dark lavender.

That wasn't what bothered me, though. Her eyes were…familiar. This was odd, because I know for a _fact_ that I would remember someone with eyes like that. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I could plainly see her look of curiosity.

But there was something underneath that. Confusion. She looked older than what I thought she had before. There was a haunted expression. She looked like she was alone, desolate; abandoned. I wanted to give her a comforting smile, but saw that _she_ was doing that to _me_. I opened my mouth to speak to her, but she opened her mouth at the _exact same time_. It couldn't be…

I raised my hand experimentally, and yet again, the girl mimicked me. It… wasn't possible. How could I not recognize my own face? The girl's- no, my- face was stricken and laced with horror. I was _scared_.

I looked away from the wall of mirrors just as a door in the far corner opened and a burst of feeling and color entered the room. I immediately laid back down and closed my eyes while fighting nausea. Where were these feelings coming from? I tried to ignore them and focus on the tall person in a lab coat.

The person who walked through the door was a man, and from what I could see, he had long blonde hair. But what was more interesting was that he had a swirl of blinding colors around him. It was a mix of orange, yellow, blue, and violet surrounding him, as if his emotions were surrounding him in a burst of color and energy.

It was overwhelming, feeling everything around him, almost as if it was trying to drown my own emotions. This had _never_ happened before, but yet I knew what every color represented. Orange stood for ambition, self control, and thoughtfulness. Yellow for intellect and indecisiveness. Blue for creativity and violet for wisdom.

How is this happening? How did I get this? This makes no sense! And then it came to me. That weird attack thing. Maybe it had caused this. But how? All I could gather was that maybe it was some kind of trigger.

I decided to officially "wake up," so I sat up and rubbed my eyes again. The man noticed that I was awake and turned to study me. I got my first good look at him. He had longish platinum blonde hair and green eyes the color of poison. There was an awkward silence as we stared at each other. I wouldn't admit it, but even for being maybe 20 years older than me, he _was_ kinda attractive. The man cleared his throat and said, "Hello. My name is Vexen, number IV. This is my laboratory."

His voice was boring; uninterested. Like he didn't give a care about anyone or anything if it _didn't_ interest him. "Umm, hello, Vexen. I'm Xelxa."

I slid off of the stainless steel lab table and was about to ask for directions when I realized my left wrist felt odd. It was stiff, and when I looked down I saw it was bandaged. Oh, that's right! Larxene cut me. I had another very _interesting_ name for her, but some people would think it was inappropriate and uncalled for. That and very offending.

My bracelet was gone. I looked at the man towering above me and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. By the way, it will only work for you. I've run a few tests, and it seems as if you're the only one that can control it."

Vexen handed me the bracelet. "That's good to know," I said appreciatively as I slipped the bracelet back on.

"Marluxia is waiting out side for you. The door's over there." He turned around and started measuring liquids and working on his experiment. I stayed put and silently walked behind Vexen to read the list of ingredients, procedures, and notes in his elegant, yet sloppy scrawl. From what I could conclude from his folder, it was some kind of antidote. Whatever had francium in it didn't sound much like an antidote, though.

Wait. Francium. Why did that sound familiar? I tried to dig through my mind to find this little inkling while Vexen uncorked and was about to pour the flask into a vial over an open flame. Little alarm bells went off in my head and it was then that I realized that francium was highly flammable and unstable. The only time that francium would _ever_ be even _considered_ to be exposed to flame was in francium bombs. Which was a _hydrogen bomb_. I didn't even want to _think_ about what would happen to the castle if francium met this flame.

"Stop, _stop, STOP_!" I screeched. Vexen heaved an exasperated sigh.

"What is _so_ important that you have to scream? This had better be important and not some stupid, petty question." I crossed my arms and stared incredulously at Vexen.

"It'd do you well to remember, oh smart and wise one, that francium is highly flammable and _completely _unstable. Unless you want to purposely burn this castle down in a catastrophic explosion, I suggest you don't add it to your antidote, or whatever that thing is."

Vexen stared at me wide-eyed. Then, like clouds clearing up after a thunderstorm, his dull, expressionless face broke into a wonderful smile and his aura changed to a more noticeable golden yellow. Happy and optimistic. Vexen looked handsome when he smiled. If he wasn't so old and if I wasn't so creeped out by the sudden change, I would've actually liked him. Then again, I know nothing about him, so I would never know what I walked into.

"Finally! Someone who understands science! You _have_ to join me and Zexion to work in the lab!" That was totally unexpected. My first day and I already have a job offer. Pretty impressive for a rookie like me. I gave a small smile and took a step back. Even thought this was pretty cool, Vexen was kinda creeping me out.

"I'll think about it. This is my first day here and-"

"Alright, then. I'll just add this to your file and send it up to Superior. This is an offer you can't refuse. Literally. I expect you to be here tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. sharp. If you're late, you will pay the consequences. You will file information, be a test subject, and will watch to make sure that we don't accidently blow the castle down," Vexen said haughtily. Forget I thought he was handsome. He totally ruined it by talking.

"I'm leaving now. I…guess I'll see you around," I said slowly and walked out. I didn't want to stay here any longer than I had to. I was about to hurt someone. I didn't want to work with some old creep in a laboratory! I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that after closing the door, I ran straight into Marluxia. His aura was beautiful. Red for strength, blue for loyalty and kindness, yellow for friendliness, and a dash of orange for courage. As I watched, green entered his aura conveying peace and compassion not only over him, but me too.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. I waved away his anxiety and said assuringly, "Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Well, other than being forced to work in Vexen's lab. But it's not _that_ bad. Is it?"

Silence… I looked at Marluxia fearfully. "Is it? Please, tell me it's not! I don't want to be forced to stay there!" A _huge_ amount of green deceit swept over Marluxia's aura.

"No, it's not bad. Vexen is just a bit odd, that's all. You'll get used to it in no time." If I hadn't been able to see auras, I would never have been able to tell that Marluxia was lying. To save my image, I decided not to say anything about the auras to anyone yet. I didn't want anyone to think I was insane.

"Anyway, I've been doing some thinking. Do you want to see the training arena?" Marluxia asked. "Somebody might be battling, and it's always stunning to watch."

"That sounds…fun!" I said excitedly. I was eager to meet everyone, and this would be a perfect opportunity. A black void opened in front of us and Marluxia waved me through.

We entered this huge circular arena. It had 15 foot tall walls surrounding it, and then on top of that were stands where tons of people could sit. It was almost like a coliseum in its design and architecture. And yes. Everything was- you guessed it- white!

Xigbar was floating everywhere, shooting fake dummies with these big guns. I don't even know _how_ he was flying around, and decided that I didn't want to find out. I looked around everywhere and was disappointed to see that no one else was there, but apparently Marluxia had other plans.

"Hey, Xigbar! You got a sec?" he yelled. I looked up at him questioningly. What was he doing? Xigbar whirled around and floated over to us, touching down on the ground lightly. Show off.

"What'cha need, flower boy? Do you want to make a fool of yourself in front of Newbie? Or are you just here to observe my awesomeness?" I glared up at Xigbar. Was he always like this? I mean, even if he _was_ thirty-something, he shouldn't be making fun of people. It's just rude. And my name isn't _Newbie_. Marluxia smirked and looked at me. Something was off here…

"Xelxa would like to challenge you to a battle. She bets that she can beat you on the first try." Wait… What? Did he just say what I _thought _he just said?

"What the- no I don't! What are you talking about?" I protested. What was he playing at? I stood _no chance_ at beating him!

"It's settled then. I'll go get all the others," Xigbar said smugly and portalled away. The second he left, I spun on Marluxia.

"I'm gonna get killed out there! This is all _your_ fault! I don't wanna die yet! I haven't even been here for a day! You are _so_ gonna pay for this!" Marluxia shrugged and gave me a devious smile.

"I have faith in you. You can do it." This guy didn't even know me, and he was already saying crap like this? _Who did he think he was?_ I don't care if he_ is_ my mentor. He has _no right_ to set me up like this.

"Uh, in case you didn't already notice, 'flower boy,' I just got here _today_! How can I compete with _him_?"

"Look," Marluxia said, "all you have to do is dodge Xigbar'ss bullets. His power is gravity, so if things seem a little messed up and impossible, then that's why." Ohh… That explained why he had been floating around. I scowled at Marluxia, hoping that _maybe_ Xigbar was slow enough so that I could stab him. Then I heard portals. That's when I started getting nervous.

"Is there _any way_ that I can get out of this?" I begged. I wanted so badly to leave.

"Not a chance. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go and watch your performance." With that, Marluxia smiled and portalled away so fast that I didn't have enough time to stab him with the dagger that I had conjured. I summoned another dagger to hold in my other hand, turned around, and stepped to the middle of the arena where Xigbar was waiting for me. There were whispers and- if I had heard right- a gasp from the audience.

"Good luck," Xigbar said tauntingly. I gave a nervous grin. I was gonna need it.

"Weapons at the ready!" somebody shouted from the audience. It sounded a bit like Xemnas… Xigbar and I immediately took defensive stances. "You may start… NOW!"

I had to do a duck and roll immediately to avoid a fist to the face. "Hey! What happened to a gentleman not hitting a lady?" I protested. Xigbar smiled evilly and lunged at me. I dodged just in time as he said, "If you haven't noticed, sweetie, I'm no gentleman."

He attempted to disarm me, but I jumped back and stabbed him in the arm. "_Never_ call me that again!"

I roundhouse kicked him in the chest, which barely phased him. He drew out his guns and started shooting maniacally at me. I ran around frantically, trying to dodge the huge bullets. Xigbar, realizing what I was trying to do, laughed like a crazy person and suddenly the bullets soared into the air and tried to hit me in all directions.

"Oh, crap!" I screamed and tried not to end up as Swiss cheese, because (1) I'm pretty sure I wouldn't look very good, and (2) I don't think I would taste very good either. I threw one of my knives, but it stopped in midair, turned so that the blade was facing me, and rebounded right back. I made it disappear before I got stabbed in the chest and turned my other knife into a scythe.

I was so concentrated on doing that, I didn't notice that a bullet was soaring toward me until right after it grazed the side of my neck. So. Xigbar wanted to play a fight to the death? Then so be it. Xigbar was laughing so hard at my shocked face that he didn't notice when I ran toward him. But he did notice fast enough to just barely dodge my attack. His aura turned an angry shade of red, and his eye narrowed.

"Bring it on, old man," I taunted as I slashed at him again.

"Gladly," he replied and shot at me. I deflected the bullet on the blade of the scythe and advanced. Time turned into a blur of attacks and counterattacks, and soon me and Xigbar were both panting and trying desperately to corner the other. I was exhausted and felt myself getting slower and slower. It was getting harder to avoid the bullets directed toward me.

At my last attempt to win, I feinted to one side, but the ducked and ankle-swept the ground. To my utter and complete surprise, Xigbar tumbled down, so I took the opportunity and kicked his guns out of reach, rested my foot on his chest, and held the scythe dangerously close to his neck.

The arena was silent, and disbelief swarmed the air. Yells then erupted from the stands, and I turned around and walked away, but was so weak and tired that I dropped the scythe and collapsed to the ground. I closed my eyes and was about to welcome the deep comfort of sleep when I heard someone shout my name. The world lurched under me, and when I managed to open my eyes, I saw Marluxia's face looming before mine.

"Are you alright?" he asked for the second time that day. I smiled weakly and said, "I hate you, you know that?"

He brushed the hair out of my face and chuckled softly. "And yet, you're my new friend," I whispered, and then fell asleep in his arms.

End of Chapter 2

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><p>So, that's the end of Chapter 2! Maybe a little romance, evil, and kick-butt awesomeness for Chapter 3! I want to give a shout-out to sonicdisney because so far, you're the only person I DON'T know in real life! Lol, I'm so glad you like my story and I believe I'll have some more typed and posted soon! So, anyway, tell all your friends, family, and fanfiction community to read &amp; review because you know it'll make me very happy! I'd love to get everyone's opinion on my first-ever fanfiction and as they say (even though I don't know who "they" are), happy writers type more!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Chapter 3…. The Xaldin chapter… Not really because Xaldin doesn't appear for the next couple chapters I think. I have to consult my notes. Coming up: a heartfelt conversation, an old friend, and some other epic stuff in between! So, broadcasting to you live from Marlu13 Studios, this is Chapter 3, brought to you by MCR, BVB, 3GD, Evanescence, Seether, and all of the other inspirational bands that led me to writing. LIVE OUT LOUD!

Disclaimer: I own Kingdom Hearts how I own the Black Veil Brides- I don't.

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

When I finally awoke, I smiled sleepily. I was warm and comfortable. I didn't ever want to get up. Sadly, the peaceful moment was broken by whispers of, "Hey, look! She's waking up!"

Darn! I was hoping that I could fake sleep. Then everyone would leave me alone and I could rest here blissfully. So much for _that_ fantasy. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Man, I wish I could've slept longer. The first thing I noticed was Marluxia sitting next to me, who I had apparently used as a pillow on the couch we were sitting on.

I blushed a little at his smile and forced myself to look somewhere else. I can _not_ afford to have a relationship right now. That and Marluxia is _just a friend_. He wouldn't feel the same way about me, so what's the point?

There were five other people in the room with us. There was Xemnas, Saix, a dude that had platinum blonde hair that was playing with a deck of cards, a guy with a dirty-blonde mullet that had a huge guitar looking thing, and a very, very tall man with spiky red hair.

One thing I want to know: do these people dye their hair? I mean, come on! Pink hair? Blood red? BLUE? _THESE ARE NOT NATURAL HAIR COLORS!_

The mullet guy jumped up, ran over to me, and gave me a huge hug. I went rigid and waited for him to let go. I kind of have personal space issues. He quickly got the hint and jumped back. His aura was of the most beautiful, blinding yellow, but when there are other people in the room it gets very distracting.

He was, of course, tall like everyone else was. I was the shortest one so far. I don't want to be labelled as small, so hopefully there's someone even shorter than me. I don't know why, but I don't like being small. Probably because people think you're little and defenseless when your not.

"Oh, sorry! Hi, my name is Demyx!" the guy said. He had the most adorable sea blue eyes, and he looked kind of innocent and clueless. As if oblivious to me not responding, Demyx went on chattering quickly and cheerfully.

"I'm 20, I love cheese, and this is my sitar! My favoritest thing ever is either music or water, and guess what! I can play almost any instrument! Mar-mar tells us your name is Xelxa and that you're real tough, but nice too. I think he likes you, and that's just my opinion, but if he does then you better watch out for Larxene. Anyway, Axel thinks that Mar-mar is lying and that you're a-"

The red haired man ran up behind Demyx and clapped his hand over Demyx's mouth. "Sorry about him. My name is Axel, got it memorized?"

Axel's eyes were the deepest emerald green, which contrasted greatly with his red hair. Underneath his eyes were tattoos; they were a simple black line about an inch long in length under each eye. His aura was as red as his hair; full of strength and passion, and a dash of yellow added to the mix for friendliness.

I looked over at Marluxia who was giving a death glare to Demyx. When he saw me looking at him, he turned to me. "Mar-mar? Really?" I asked sarcastically. "If you ask me, I prefer Marly better," I told him and turned back to the red-head.

"A-about what Demyx said-" Axel started to say, but I cut him off.

"No hard feelings. Quick question. Does everyone cuss here?" I asked. Axel nodded. I smiled. Man, these people were _so_ going to hate me.

"Every time someone cusses, you owe me 10 munny. If you do and don't pay me right away, you owe me 50% interest for every hour that goes by." Xemnas, who was listening to our conversation, perked his head up.

"That is a wonderful idea! Why had I not thought of that? And with the munny we make, we can add it to our organization funds! That _was_ your intention, wasn't it?" said Xemnas. Actually, it wasn't. I was going to take all the munny and save it for my own funds. Probably to buy some books, or even better, some music!

"Yeah…sure. Whatever you say, Superior," I said, trying to act like that was my intention after all. It was silent as everybody kind of thought about it. It wasn't that bad of an idea.

"Hey, Xelxa? How old are you?" Demyx asked. I had to sit and think about it for a second, which was kind of upsetting because I couldn't even remember my own age.

"I- I'm 16. I think." Xemnas, Saix, Marluxia, Axel, and Demyx all stared at me, disbelief apparent in their faces and auras. It was a long moment of silence that stretched out for awhile and made me feel self-conscious. Marluxia finally decided to break the silence.

"Really? You seem older than that. I'm 18, Axel is 21, Xemnas is about 40, Saix is in his 30's, and I'm pretty sure Luxord is 25." The platinum-blonde man looked up, and I'm guessing he was the Luxord person since I knew everyone else in here and Marluxia wouldn't have mentioned him if he wasn't here. Luxord stood up and walked over to me.

"'Ello, luv. I'm Luxord," he said in a very refined British accent. His aura was white; a perfect balance.

"Hello, Luxord! I'm Xelxa, but I'm pretty sure you already knew that," I said and looked over at Marluxia pointedly. He had a very light blush on his cheeks, but I pretended not to notice.

All of a sudden, a portal opened and Larxene stepped through. She glared at me before looking at everyone else. "Dinner." With that, she portalled away, and one by one everybody started leaving until only me and Marluxia were left.

What was her problem? I hadn't even said- wait, never mind. I did say 5 words to her. Whatever. She didn't like me for some reason, and I don't really want to find out. She's so rude, though! I want to punch her. This kind of reminded me of something that I had been meaning to ask Marluxia about.

"Marluxia?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't really sure how to put this without sounding upset or desperate.

"What's on your mind?" he replied and turned on the couch so he could face me. That just made it all the harder to ask him my question. I was afraid that he would be disappointed in me for asking this, but it was really bugging me.

"Umm well… Why did you stay with me? You had so many chances to desert me; you could've killed me if you wanted so you wouldn't have to deal with me or ditched me or-"

Marluxia held up his hand, signalling me to stop talking. His aura changed color with friendship and sincerity, and coincidentally it matched his hair.

"Well, for one thing, if Superior ever found out that I killed you, I would most likely die as well. I have no desire to fade anytime soon. Two, you're different than most people here. You're the third girl to ever get into the organization, so you're particularly special. You're _definitely_ more mature than most people here, so it's always nice to meet people that act their age."

That made sense to me. And I _knew_ that he wasn't lying, so it really made me feel like I belonged somewhere in a way. Somebody actually cares…

"I'm just- so confused, you know?" I pushed my hair out of my face to get a better look at him.

"I'm scared that everyone's gonna hate me. I don't even know who I am. When I woke up in Vexen's lab, I didn't even recognize my own face! How will I ever adjust to living here?" Marluxia smiled comfortingly at me.

"Everybody adjusts to it eventually. Just look at me! And you won't be alone. A new girl came exactly a week before you did, so she's going through the same thing you are. You never know. You might make a new friend. Now, I hate to cut this conversation short, but it's been awhile and everyone's going to be wondering where we are."

A portal appeared in front of us, so I stood and walked through with Marluxia not far behind. We entered a grand, and very white, dining room where everybody was already sitting except a seat labelled "XV" and "XI". Loud whistles, whoops, and accusations of, "Marluxia's got a girlfriend!" filled the room as we came through the portal. Marly just rolled his eyes, and went to go sit down, but stopped in his tracks when Xigbar shouted out, "What took you two so long?"

I felt a light blush brush my cheeks, but said just as loudly, "Sorry! We lost track of time talking about all of our favourite flowers. The garden Marluxia has outside is beautiful, and I just wanted to know just how many of them are poisonous."

That statement shut everyone up, and after sending me a respectful glance, Marluxia proceeded to his seat. I smiled and went to sit in the seat labelled "XV" on the back of it. On my left was the Superior, and to my right was a blue-haired girl that was staring at me.

The second she got a good look at my face, her eyes widened. I was just as shocked. I _knew_ her. I _REMEMBERED_ her! "Addy!" I screamed, and encased her in a hug. She stiffened, and I remembered that she has personal space issues, too. I let go, and stared into her gray eyes.

"I can't believe you're here!" she exclaimed. I couldn't tell if she was glad or upset. Her aura was bright blue, for creativity, loyalty, moodiness, and kindness.

"Although I go by Daxdy now," she added. I nodded and gave her a huge smile.

"Yeah, I go by Xelxa now. But that doesn't really matter. I just can't fathom that we're together again! Wait. How long have you been here? A week right?" Daxdy nodded. So, of course, without thinking, I blurted out the first thing on my mind.

"Wow. I actually lasted longer than you." Red entered Daxdy's aura, and her eyes narrowed. She punched me in the arm- hard. That was going to leave a bruise.

"Shut up! That's only because I went Heartless hunting! Did _you_ ever go Heartless hunting? Didn't think so!" She glared at me, and the term "Heartless hunting" reminded me of something.

"I _told_ you that you were going to die doing that! But you did anyway, and_ look what happened_!" I protested. It was true, too. I _know_ for a _fact_ that I told her that.

"Did you come here just to rub this in my face?" she screamed. "Because if you did, then just go away! I don't want you here!" Oh, no. Time to fix this. I smiled evilly and elbowed her.

"Oh, c'mon Daxdy! You know I live to tease you, and if you kind of didn't notice, I kind of died too. You probably put up a better fight than I did." At this, she calmed down dramatically to a more playful mood.

"True," she admitted. "I _am_ a better fighter than you." I raised an eyebrow.

"Did you _not_ see me beat up Xigbar?" I said defensively. Daxdy just laughed, and we turned back to the table. The whole room was silent, and I noticed a guy with short blue hair staring intently at Daxdy. Hmm… I'll have to look into that.

All of a sudden, everybody started talking. It was pretty painful, feeling all of the emotions. Then, apparently somebody did something hilarious and everybody started to burst out laughing.

The emotions were very strong, and I couldn't breathe, like I was going to drown. I had to get out of there. I jumped up and ran, just ran away from everything.

End of Chapter 3

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><p>Hey there devoted readers! (Hopefully there's more than just one out there) Anyway, I want to tell my dear readers that no, Xelxa's powers are <em>not<em> being able to see emotions. It's just a little something extra to make it a bit more interesting, kind of like how Zexion has an awesome sense of smell. So, yes, she has a certain power, but you'll have to wait and find out next chapter! (Check Chapter 1 to see if you can figure it out) Oh, and for those who don't know, the names MCR, BVB, and 3DG are all bands. MCR= My Chemical Romance. BVB= Black Veil Brides. 3DG= Three Days Grace. And for those who probably don't care, no, I cannot raise one eyebrow in real life. I've practiced really hard and I can't, but I want to _really _badly so I pretend that I can. Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter 4! :D


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Awesome job sonicdisney on figuring out my clue! Anyway, a little about myself- I am a HUGE Potter fan. Expect references ;D. BTW, for everyone's benefit, if you haven't already, if might help to read The Fourteenth Member by Andrew the Pichu that has Fire. It's the POV of Daxdy and it starts off a week before Xelxa arrives at the Organization. However, "Andrew" has only _**one stupid measly chapter!**_ I deeply apologize to you readers on "Andrew's" part, and hope to high heaven that you're reading this "Andrew," because youneed to type more or I'm _**coming after you**_ (creepy, evil laugh). I apologize if I seem a little…trigger happy with the italic, bold and underline buttons on this chapter. I'm listening to My Chemical Romance and the Black Veil Brides while writing this and _some people_ *cough friends cough cough* think that it messes with my mood and makes me all crazy. So, on a happier and less ridiculing or insane note (whichever you think fits best), here's Chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I will never own Kingdom Hearts, because if I did, I invented it at age 4.

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

I ran through the castle, taking random turns, flying through random hallways. I hesitated when I found the castle doors. Should I stay or go? I wasn't technically going to run away, I was just going to run to a secluded place that would take a _really_ long time for somebody to find me. So, in a way, yes, I was running away. I just said it in a more educated and dignified term.

_Shhh, don't tell anyone! _my mind thought. Sometimes I wonder if it's normal to have a little voice/voices in your mind that like to mess with you. You know? They just _love_ to mess with your head and make you insecure or say little off-task things that make you wonder where in the world you came up with them. I _hate_ my voices; I'm a bit of a pessimist, so it makes it a bit harder for me because the stupid little voices either act like a complete retards or scare the crap out of me with impossible scenarios. _**DARN YOU VOICES!**_

I shook myself from my mind ramble and burst through the castle doors, running into the balmy night. I looked around, and decided to head to the right where Marluxia's garden was. I felt a sort of closeness to it, and I think it contributed to having woken up inside of it earlier. That and I felt like it had some kind of secret that-no matter how hard you tried-it would never reveal.

The maze/garden reminded me a bit of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he goes into the creepy maze for the third task. This was about the same except (1) there was no fog/mist, (2) the path didn't close after you walked in, (3) it had pretty flowers, and (4) the paths were wider- you couldn't touch both sides if you stood in the middle. There's more I'm forgetting, but I didn't want to creep myself out with the voices and all.

I ran through the maze, purposely trying to get lost, and then finally did. After that, I found an out-of-the-way dead end and lay down in the grass, watching the sunlight fade and be replaced by the dark comfort of the moon and stars. Time slipped away, and I found myself not caring.

A slight rustling of the grass pried my attention from my thoughts to the situation at hand. I sat up and listened, but heard nothing. I shook my head, dismissing it as the wind, and was about to lay back down when I heard it again. It was closer than before, louder, and not as continuous.

I propped myself up on my arms and leaned back on them, waiting for the intruder, stranger or not, to approach. I heard nothing else, but felt something slithering up my arms and legs. I tried to lift my arms to get a better look, emphasis on the _tried_. My arms and legs were tied to the ground by- vines? I struggled harder, but to no avail. The vines grew thicker and started to wrap themselves repeatedly over my ankles and wrists, and I made it to the point where I just stopped struggling. It was useless to fight them, so I just relaxed and tried to stay calm.

I could feel his emotions before I saw him, and looked up to where I knew he would appear in less than a minute.

"Did you really think that I would run away again?" I called out to Marluxia, who, not even five seconds after I called out to him, walked around the corner. He laughed, and the gray in his aura disappeared so fast that I couldn't tell what it was. Depression? Sadness? Scepticism? Or was it just exhaustion? The blue, yellow, and green were clear, though. Kind, happy, peaceful.

He just laughed and stood there staring at me. But the more I thought about it, the more I got mad. How _dare_ he tie me down and force me to stay, as if my free will didn't matter? What kind of game did he think he was playing? Whatever it was, I wanted nothing to do with it.

I sat there, glaring up at him, getting more and more angry as the seconds went by. I felt red-hot power surge through me, and without a second thought, I embraced it, letting it take control. Marluxia's aura changed as he became more uneasy at the look I was giving him. My restraints gave way, and I noticed that they had been reduced to ash. I stood up and gave what I can only describe as a purely evil grin.

"What's wrong, Marly? Scared?" I taunted. Without even stopping to think about it, I imagined all of the power building up inside of me and directed it forcefully at Marluxia. A blinding flash of light flew between us, and then he crumpled to the ground in a heap. His aura, along with a vast majority gray for low energy and exhaustion, had a slight amount of red. He was scared. Of me.

The power that I had felt left, leaving me feeling empty and tired in its place. It was then that I realized what a stupid thing I had just done. I should have _never_ lost control like that. I should know better. Its dangerous not just for me, but for others around me.

'_You're an idiot!'_ my mind told me._ 'Why'd you have to lose control like that? You're completely worthless!'_

'Shut up!' I screamed in my head to my other self. 'Marluxia's hurt and you keep distracting me! Just shut up!'

'_You're just going to mess things up even more! You're nothing to him, and he most likely hates your guts right now, so you should just leave him alone!' _it yelled back.

'**SHUT UP, YOU **_**PATHETIC**_** EXCUSE FOR A BRAIN!'** I screamed to my voice, and then waited for an answer. Nothing. I smiled triumphantly in my mind. The exchange only took a few seconds, and without hesitation I turned back to the problem at hand.

"Marly, I'm _so_ sorry! I- I didn't mean to! I can't believe- I know that- Oh, god, Marluxia, I'm so sorry!" I choked out and reached to help him up, but he held up his hand, signalling for me to stop. I yanked my hand away and took a few steps back. I felt so guilty for doing this to him. This was my entire fault.

"I'll go get Vexen, 'kay? Stay here." Like he really had a choice. I pretty much just gave him a near-death experience. Marluxia closed his eyes and shook his head, still lying in the ground.

"Just- just give me a second," he panted. I defied his request, and tried to make a portal for the first time. Portals are made of darkness... Right? But…how do you determine if you can make it? Wait. I have no heart. So what if…all that's there is darkness? It was worth a try. I closed my eyes and willed the darkness with all my strength to open, taking me to my final destination: Vexen's lab.

I opened my eyes, and right in front of me was a portal of complete and utter darkness. Even though I'm not very religious, I sent a quick prayer to whatever god that was listening to please, please, _please_ have this portal lead to Vexen's lab. I hopped through it and found myself in a completely white room with stainless steel lab tables and a very irritable tall blonde man by the name of Vexen standing in front of a counter. Yes!

"Whoever it is, go-"

"Marluxia's hurt!" I said frantically, cutting Vexen off. "I- I didn't mean to, but I hurt him _really_ badly and I didn't know what to do so I came here and- and-" Vexen whirled around, and his aura instantly changed to one of curiosity, and intense concentration.

"Wait a second. What exactly happened?" he asked while running over to his cabinets and grabbing a vial. I just shook my head silently, and- to my dismay- started crying silently. After seeing the look on my face, Vexen ran through the portal, and I followed behind just as quickly.

Marluxia looked even worse than when I had left him. He was paler and his breathing labored. I hurriedly sat down next to Marluxia and put his head in my lap while Vexen quickly examined him, but he wasn't quick enough. Marluxia's aura started to turn black: imminent death.

"Hurry up and give him the potion!" I screamed. "He's dying! You're going to kill him if you don't give it to him _now_!" My tears started flowing faster, but I was so worried about Marluxia that I didn't even bother to wipe them away.

I propped his head up as Vexen quickly uncorked the vial and gave it to him. Slowly but surely, Marluxia's aura returned to normal. I breathed a sigh of relief, but continued crying. Marluxia slowly sat up, and other than being just a little tired, he looked like he was going to be okay. Vexen stood up and made a portal.

"Follow me," he ordered and stepped through. Marluxia got up and was about to walk through when he turned back to see me still sitting on the ground crying.

"Hey," he said, crouching so we were face to face. "I'm okay now. Why are you still crying?" I honestly didn't know _why_ I was still crying. I just couldn't imagine him dying; it upset me. And yet, I barely knew him. I felt as if I had known him forever other than just for a few hours.

I shook my head and looked down. Marluxia studied me, took my chin between his thumb and his fore finger, and gently pushed it up, making me stare him in the eyes. My tears eventually slowed, and soon they stopped completely. He smiled and let go.

"Don't expect me to kill you for this. It was an accident. Besides, I'm okay now. Don't worry about it." He then stood up and offered his hand to me. I looked at it, and then put my hand in his, leading him to the portal and to Vexen's lab.

The second Vexen saw me enter, he stiffened and looked over at Marluxia. He took another look at the files in front of him, and then cleared his throat.

"Marluxia suffered from burns, multiple bruises, sight problems, irregular breathing, slight burns, and other symptoms." I winced. I had done _that _much damage? Marluxia looked down at me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go.

"Thankfully, they were all healed by the potion, but nothing explains how these are all signs of electrocution. Unless, of course, we have found your power." Vexen said, staring straight at me. He then looked to my right at Marluxia.

"How was it in comparison to Larxene's?" he asked. Marluxia frowned.

"It was more raw; concentrated. It wasn't like sticking a paper clip in a light socket; no, it was more like touching a power line or a high voltage container with nothing to protect you from it." Vexen's aura turned a bright shade of yellow. That socially deprived lab scientist was _**happy**_ that Marluxia got hurt?

"I just injured and almost fatally killed Marluxia, and you're _happy_ just because it helps your _studies_? You're _**sick**_!" I screamed at Vexen. I could feel that power trying to escape; trying to take over again. I was about to lose the fight against it when a male voice said, "Should we come back later?"

Vexen, Marluxia, and I whirled around to see who had spoken. Daxdy and the boy with short blue hair that had been staring at her at dinner were standing in the doorway. Their auras were almost identical, which surprised me a bit. Creative, loyal kind, and moody. The only difference was that B.H.B. (Blue Haired Boy) had more self-control and intellect than Daxdy. Huh.

"Wonderful timing, as always Zexion," Vexen said. "One more second and I might have ended up like poor Marluxia here." Daxdy and (Zexion?) looked over at Marluxia.

"What?" Daxdy said sarcastically. "Were you going to become a gay flower boy, too?" Marluxia glared at her as she burst out laughing.

"No, Vexen almost ended up becoming the world's first fried ice cube," Marluxia replied coldly (haha pun). Ouch. I winced and looked away. Not exactly the best thing to make me feel better right now. Zexion was the only one that noticed my reaction. He found it very curious.

"What did you do?" he asked. His blue eyes locked onto my violet ones, so of course I proceeded to flush with embarrassment and looked down to spare myself from having to answer. Vexen decided to step in, but I wasn't sure if that was necessarily a good or a bad thing.

"She electrocuted Marluxia and came very close to electrocuting me." I glared up at him. Why must he blame it on me?

"It wasn't _my_ fault! _He_ shouldn't have tied me down with vines!" I said defensively and pointed at Marluxia.

"Yes, but he thought you were going to run!" Vexen yelled back. I could not _believe_ this! That ice princess thought that he could blame all of this on_ me_ like he's some hero in a movie and _I'm_ the bad guy? I don't think so.

"It was a dead end! I couldn't have run!" I screamed back.

"You might've attacked him!"

"I only attacked him because he _tied me down_!"

"_**SHUT UP!**_" Everybody turned to Marluxia who had unexpectedly screamed. I doubted that it was something he did normally because everyone else seemed pretty shocked.

"Xelxa, calm down, and Vexen, go crawl in a closet and die. Stop fighting over what I did or didn't do and the reason behind it." Vexen gat mad immediately. Oh, great. Ice Princess: Return of the Snowman.

"Well, obviously you're tired and need to stay here for the night," Vexen huffed. Ice Princess alert: meltdown in 5…4…3…2…

"I'm not your lab experiment, old man!" Marluxia snapped. Every rose has its thorn…

"Technically, you are." That was it. Marluxia summoned his scythe; Vexen a shield. Oh, great, just what we need. Ice Princess 3: the Rose of Doom.

"Matsu, matsu!" Daxdy cried the Japanese equivalent of "Wait, wait!" in English, and tried to help me pull the two men apart so they didn't end up killing each other. I stood in front of Marluxia and tried to grab his scythe, but he pushed me down o the floor- hard. I then summoned up fake tears, and voila! He immediately tore his attention from Vexen to help me up and say he was sorry and that killing Vexen wasn't worth me getting hurt.

"Just calm down," Daxdy said. "Obviously you guys are mad, so just… ignore each other or something and go away." Without thinking, (_'Once again, you are a __**complete**__ genius,' _my mind said sarcastically. 'Shut up, mind.') I blurted out something that I remembered.

"Well isn't that ironic. Usually you laugh your butt off when people fight," I told Daxdy. She whirled from pushing Vexen away from Marluxia and stared at me. Her eyes turned as blood red as her aura and blue fire appeared in her hands.

"Well you know what?" she screamed, and than proceeded to say something very inappropriate about me and Marluxia in Japanese before portalling away. Vexen and Zexion both stood there wide-eyed while I blushed my head off. Why is it that just because a girl hangs out with a guy, everyone thinks that they're having a "relationship"? Marluxia's just a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Marluxia finally decided to break the silence.

"Did you guys understand a word she just said? 'Because I'm pretty sure she said my name, but other than that I have no idea." Silence…

"Did she just say what I thought she said?" Zexion asked slowly. Me and Vexen both nodded our heads while Marluxia just stood there, utterly confused.

"What did she say?" he asked. I hoped that, for his sake, he didn't find out. I have a feeling it would get _veery_ awkward…

"Believe me," Zexion said, "You don't wanna know. Well, I must go find Daxdy before she tries to burn down the kitchen…" his eyes got wide. "Or the library!" With that, he portalled away. Wait. Did he just say… library? Marluxia, seeing my face light up, knew exactly where I wanted to go. He made a portal of darkness and we stepped through it without a second glance behind us.

The room was huge with tons of bookshelves along with desks, chairs, tables, computers, and some couches. I ran straight over to a bookshelf and coincidentally found a book that I had always wanted to read.

"The Ruins?" Marluxia asked, peering over my shoulder. "Isn't that the book where vines gruesomely kill people?" I nodded and skipped along the aisles, which was a bit out of character for me. I came to another shelf and found anther book that I had been interested in reading: Marquis de Sade. I reached out and was about to touch the book when Marluxia quickly grabbed my wrist.

"Don't touch those. They're Larxene's books, and I'd rather note repeat the scene from this morning." I looked up at Marluxia, staring him in the eyes. We stood there for a couple of minutes in silence.

"You're going to read it anyway, aren't you?" he asked. He sighed when I nodded, but still wouldn't let go.

"Marluxia," I began slowly, "I can take care of myself. You don't always have to protect me from everybody." _'He's going to argue with you because you're weak. Even Demyx could tell that you're lying!'_ 'This is not the time or place voice. So go away.'

"Yes, I do! That's my job! To protect you from getting hurt and getting into dangerous situations." I sighed. I knew that there was almost no way out of this. Hair-splitting time.

"If I remember correctly, Superior said 'Marluxia will be your guide and prep you for everyday life here at the castle.' Your job is to guide, not tell me what to do." Let's see him try to beat that! I've wanted to read this book for _forever_, and there is _no way_ that Marluxia is going to stop me from reading it. After a moment of thought, Marluxia smiled.

"Guiding you _is_ telling you what to do."

"Yeah," I said. I let him bask in what he thought was victory, but only for a second. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that I have to do it."

I then tried to wrestle my arm away from him, which resulted in me dropping my book and him holding my other wrist, too.

"Let go."

"Not until you promise you wont touch these books." I looked up at him. Might as well be honest.

"I don't make promises that I don't intend to keep. So will you let go?" I asked hopefully. Honesty is the best policy, right?

"No." _**SEE?**_ This is why everybody _lies_ all the time. You get what you want and nobody suspects a thing. I mean, so what if honesty let Harry stay at Hogwarts? The outcome would've probably been the same if he'd lied his way out of it.

I quickly pulled my hands toward me, hoping to slip out of Marluxia's grasp, but found myself off balance and fell onto my back with Marluxia on top of me. He pinned my wrists on the floor beside my head, straddled my hips, and leaned over me.

His face was centimeters from mine. If I lifted my head up just a bit, I could kiss him. Wait. _What?_ This is _Marluxia_. Like I keep telling myself: _he's just a friend_. Why am I even thinking this right now? I just need to focus on the task at hand and get the book that I want.

"Get off, Marly."

"No. Do you give up?" was his simple reply. He was thoughtful for some reason. Wonder what it is he's thinking about?

"Never," I said and tried to get up quickly, which only resulted in me being slammed more forcefully back to the ground again. Darn, he was fast. I don't see a how I can get out of this one and still get what I want.

"Do you wish to die again?" Marluxia asked angrily. I shrugged.

"No, not particularly. Can you let me up now?" That made him even madder.

"Do you have _no_ consideration for your life _at all_? You can't just expect that nothing is going to happen to you because-" he stopped in midsentence, as if he had said something he shouldn't have. His aura started settle down. He was a tired, but he wasn't going to show me that.

"Look, just don't touch Larxene's books, okay?" he suddenly seemed impatient, like there was something that he needed to be doing. I could tell from his aura that it was important.

I nodded, and he got off of me, offering his hand to help me up. After a second of hesitation, I grabbed it and stood up beside him. I rubbed my wrists where he had gripped them so hard and was a bit shocked to see light purple bruises all the way around them. It didn't take much for me to get bruised, but I would've never gotten bruises on my wrists like that. How strange.

"I have something to show you," Marluxia said. He was unsure but there was confidence mixed in with it. Confidence in me? Hopefully so.

"Umm…okay," I said quietly, and let him lead me, once again, through a portal. I was in the arena, but there was no one else around. Marluxia turned to look at me.

"Close your eyes, and _no peeking_," he said. What was he up to? He was acting odd, and it made me feel a bit scared. Without questioning it, I closed my eyes and waited. A few minutes of silence later, Marluxia called out to me.

"You can open your eyes now." He was nowhere to be seen, but in the middle of the room was a little ant looking bug with yellow lamp-light eyes crawling everywhere. I went completely rigid and stared at it fearfully. There was not a doubt in my mind that this thing had killed me.

End of Chapter 4

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><p>Hey! Sorry it got really boring at the end. Its 3 a.m. so I'm pretty tired… But anyway, the Chronicles of Vexy the Ice Princess are available now at all retail stores! And, yes, before you ask, I do have those actual voices in my head. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the kind of person I am because a lot of people like me have voices like that, too. (And no, I don't take meds, but thanks for asking!) BTW, I skipped in the library because every single library that I've been to, I get in trouble for skipping down the aisles. I've always wanted to skip in the library without getting in trouble. Guess I'm just a rebel like that X3 ~~~Ladies and gentlemen, truth- is now acceptable, fame- is now injectable, process the progress. This core is critical, faith- is unavailable, lives- become incredible, now- please understand that I can't slow down; I won't be waiting for you. I can't stop now because I'm dancin'. This planet's ours to defend, aint got no time to pretend, don't mess around- this is our last chance! ~~~ Planetary (Go!) by My Chemical Romance<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey there! So, Xelxa wasn't supposed to almost kill Marluxia- just hurt him a lot. She actually wasn't supposed to cry, either. I stray from the regular copy frequently. Like the voices in my head, my comments on things (like Vexy the Ice Princess and Xemnas being a Mafia leader), nicknames (B.H.B and Scarface), dialogue, and a _lot_ of the scenes (like after Marluxia almost dies and he tries to comfort Xelxa before they go to Vexen's lab) - they're not in my original copy. I make most of it up as I go along, but I follow the original storyline. I just try to put myself into my own writing, and most of all, try to make people laugh. (My friends never laugh at my jokes. I think I'm funny but they don't agree. I'm funny… _right?_)

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts owns _me_.

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

I slowly backed away, hoping the creature hadn't seen me. It apparently didn't because it kept roaming around. I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate a little. I knew that if I had a heart, it would most likely be beating a million times a second. My only thoughts were: _Oh my god, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna-_

I bumped into something tall behind me and whirled on it while summoning a knife, trying to stab it with all of my strength. Marluxia parried my blow and held my wrists out in between us so I wouldn't try to run away. I was pretty much having a panic attack by now.

"_**P-please**_, m-make it go away!" I choked out, not even ashamed to be begging. I was breathing in gasps and digging my nails into the palms of my hands so hard that they started to bleed. Marluxia was thoughtful, and I _knew_ he was going to make me face the thing and kill it.

"Hey, stop that," he said calmly, and took my hands in his so I would stop cutting the palms of my hands with my nails. "Look at me." I stopped freaking out long enough to look him in the eyes.

"If you want the Heartless to go away, than make it go away." I squeezed his hands so hard that I'm surprised none of his bones broke. His aura didn't change, so I guess he just has a higher pain tolerance.

"I am! I'm asking you to kill it!" I screeched. I didn't care if I sounded desperate. I wanted that thing _away_ from me, and I wanted it away _now_. I didn't care what it took. If I had to die again to get away from it, I would. I would suffer extreme torture to never face one again.

"I meant that if you want it to go away, _you_ have to kill it," Marluxia said softly. No. He did _not_ just say that.

"_No way_! I'm not going _anywhere near_ that thing!" I tried to break away from Marluxia, but he gripped my hands and pulled them closer to him.

"Yes you are. You're not leaving until you kill it." He let go of my hands, pushed me back softly, and quickly backed into a portal that he summoned in the wall behind him. I was alone. I whipped around to face the Heartless that was standing there me, just staring at me. I started to calm down, and then began to get angry.

Marluxia purposely left me, making me face my fear, and I was livid. How _dare_ he? I felt the electricity building up, but this time I didn't keep it in. I looked straight at the Heartless and let out everything I had felt that day. Anger, apprehensiveness, anxiety, pain, faith, everything- until nothing was left.

I stumbled back against the wall, trying to regain my balance. I was breathing heavily like I had just run a marathon and was so exhausted that I sank down to the floor. Little white dots swam in my vision, and it was all I could do to not faint there on the spot. I heard clapping, and Marluxia appeared with a look of triumph on his face.

"Wonderful light show! You should consider-" He stopped the second he saw me on the ground and rushed over.

"Are you alright? _Never_ overdo it with your powers. You could _kill_ yourself like that," he said concernedly. I tipped my head back on the wall so I could look Marluxia in the eyes.

"Third time today that you've asked that," I said and chuckled. "Just help me up." I tried to stand up, but was so dizzy that I would've fallen over on Marluxia if he hadn't caught me by the waist and held me up. He waited for me to signal to him that I was okay before letting go. I cleared my throat and looked down at the ground.

"You should get some sleep," Marluxia said, before stopping and cussing. I held out my hand expectantly. He looked at my hand and then at my face. He was obviously confused.

"You owe me ten munny. Pay up," I said sternly. Marluxia sighed and dug through his pockets until he found ten munny and handed it to me.

"I have a feeling I'm going to be losing _a lot_ of munny," he said exasperatedly. I just smiled and pocketed the munny. But that didn't explain why he was so mad about me needing to sleep.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Marluxia just sighed. What was the problem?

"Your room isn't finished, and I was planning on you rooming with Daxdy until tomorrow when it's done, but she's kind of mad at you. And Larxene is a _definite_ no…" Oh. That _is_ a big problem. I didn't want to room with a complete stranger. Although, I said it in different words.

"Let me guess. I'm going to be stuck with a complete retard?" I asked sarcastically. Who was the unlucky guy tonight? I felt sorry for whoever had to room with me, because I'm pretty sure I would drive them insane. Or _they_ might just drive _me_ insane. I almost shuddered at the thought of having to room with Xigbar.

"Didn't know you felt that way about me," Marluxia said, sounding disappointed. He wasn't upset, but it was still really mean for me to say that. My head flew up and a look of shame covered my face.

"I- I didn't mean that!" I said quickly. I then realized that our faces were inches apart. _Again_. I blushed but stood there, staring into his eyes. After a couple of seconds I stepped back and looked away. "Let's go then," I said and then gestured to him to make a portal. "You lead the way."

"My pleasure," Marluxia smiled and we portalled into a white room with lots of different colors. There was a small bookshelf with gardening books, a bed with white and green covers, a wooden dresser, a nightstand, and so many different plants on every available surface that it was indescribable. It smelled nice; floral, but not too overwhelming. You could only smell it every once in awhile, or if someone stirred the air.

"If you haven't noticed, I kind of like growing plants. Just a little hobby of mine. What do you think?" Marluxia asked nervously. He glanced at me and couldn't tell whether the awed look on my face was good or bad. I smiled and looked up at him.

"It's perfect!" I exclaimed. It really was. I liked it because it was unique. Just like him. Wait, stop _right there_. _No_ thoughts of that. At all. _'You're seriously messed up. Just kiss him already! You know he likes you!'_ my little voice said. '_No_, he does _not_ like me! We're _just friends_, and I only met him today! So just shut up head, before I make you regret ever talking.' That made it quiet down in my head considerably.

"Do you want some clothes to wear?" Marluxia asked. "I'm pretty sure you don't have anything up your sleeve. Unless, of course, you have something to tell me?" he asked jokingly. I laughed and shook my head.

"As cool as that would be- no." He walked over to the dresser and produced a white t-shirt and gray cotton pants. After he handed them to me, he smiled and pointed to a door to the left.

"The bathroom is over there if you want to shower. I'll just wait out here for you," he said and headed over to the dresser to look for something for himself. I walked over to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I took a long, scalding hot shower and dressed in the clothes Marluxia gave me. They were big on me, but I didn't mind.

My black hair had started to dry from the steam and was curling wildly, so I searched and finally found a stray piece of ribbon and tied my hair up with it. My bangs just barely fit, so I was glad that my hair would stay out of my face for now. I frowned at my reflection. My cheeks were pink from the heat, and it gave the illusion that I was blushing. I just shook my head at my reflection, put my clothes in the laundry basket, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Have a nice shower?" Marluxia asked. I nodded. He had changed into a tighter fitting shirt black shirt and red pants. If I was being honest with myself, I would've said that he was hot. But I'm a dirty liar, so I ignored the thought and focused on his aura. Green, yellow, and blue. Peaceful, indecisive, and kind.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, which made me felt stupid. I had been staring at him like a weirdo, and now he was going to call me out on it. I blushed slightly, adding to the pink on my cheeks, and looked down.

"Why do you do that?" he asked. He was curious about it, as was I. My head snapped up.

"Do what?" I asked. I do a lot of things, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Whenever you get uncomfortable or embarrassed, you look away." Huh. He was more observant than I thought. I wasn't even aware that I did that. I turned to look at his flowers to think about it when I realized that I did it again. I blushed and looked up at Marluxia. He crossed the room and now stood in front of me.

My head was level to his shoulder, and that gave me a better view of his hair. It was a softer pink that what I had thought. It wasn't hot pink, it was more of a cherry blossom pink. I wanted to reach out and touch it to see if it was as soft as a flower, but I stopped myself.

'_You love him! Just kiss him already! Now's your chance!' _screamed my mind. The thought was repeated over and over in my mind, and I tried my hardest to ignore it. I looked down. I'd rather do that than look up at Marluxia and have him figure out what my stupid voice was saying. I couldn't fight the blush that heated my cheeks yet again.

Marluxia tipped my chin up, making me look into his eyes. He smiled sweetly, brushed my left cheek lightly with his fingertips, and walked over to the closet where he put down blankets and a pillow at the foot of the bed. I sat down on the blanket and was about to lay down when he spoke up.

"What are you doing?" Marluxia demanded. I looked up at him warily.

"Umm…going to sleep." It sounded like a question. He frowned and picked me up bridal-style. I hitched my breath, waiting for the worst, but instead he just laid me down on the bed.

"Not on the floor, you're not," he said as he walked over to the foot of the bed and started rearranging the pillow and blankets the way he liked it. Did he think that just because I was a girl that I had to have a bed? I was perfectly fine sleeping on the floor, and he didn't have to pick me up. He could've just said so and I would have slept on the bed. I would've argued about it anyway, but now I was going to protest even more because he didn't ask my permission first.

"No. I'm your guest and this is your room- therefore, it isn't right for me to, in essence, take your things. Which means-" I said, standing up, "-that I should sleep on the floor." Marluxia looked down on me and then smiled slyly.

"But, miss, I could not _possibly_ do that to you," he said in a very serious sounding voice, although you could see in his aura and face that he wasn't serious at all. "After all, a gentleman would _never_ let a lady sleep on the floor."

I rolled my eyes at his mockery of the phrase that I had given Xigbar earlier that day. But, I realized that he was just trying to have a little fun and mess around a bit. I laughed and crawled back into his bed.

"Fine. But only for tonight," I said, and covered myself with the surprisingly soft comforter. Marluxia smiled and turned out the lights. I heard him walk over to the blankets on the floor, lie down, and finally go to sleep. I sighed and closed my eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

End of Chapter 5

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><p>OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE CHAPTER 5 IS OVER! Well, I just wanted every awesome reader of this fanfiction that Chapter 6 is extremely short! Yay! That means more reading delivered faster for you, and <em>waaay<em> less typing for me! It's a win-win situation! (Unless you like the really long chapters that I type. Which I don't because it takes WAY too long to proofread! And even then I still miss things.) So, I'm sorry if everything was really boring this chapter. I woke up at noon because, like I said last chapter, I stayed up until 4 in the morning typing the other one, and my creative happiness is a lacking a bit. *This message was brought to you by: Vexy the Ice Princess. Get all 3 movies at Wal-Mart for half-price! Sales end tomorrow* ~~~ Your kiss, a withered rose. Your lips have buried me. Hearts race the moments gone, we shared this fantasy. Take me… You always want the ones that you can't have… 'Cuz love isn't always- You are the best romance I've never had. 'Cuz love isn't always fair…~~~ Love Isn't Always Fair by Black Veil Brides


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Shortest. Chapter. _Ever_. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone gets mad at me for my inability to type a lot. Sonicdisney, (even though you probably already know this) _**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING ME IN YOUR STORY I FEEL SO LOVED EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE A HEART AND YOU'RE THE AWESOMEST PERSON EVER AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH**_ (but not like that)_**!**_ Whew! I feel _so_ much better now that I got that off of my chest! So, if my dear readers haven't noticed, I'm putting little parts of songs in the notice at the end of my chapters. I'm doing this because I _love_ these people's music and I want to share it with you in hopes that you will look it up and enjoy it, too! P.S. The italics symbolize a dream. So, yep- you guessed it! - 90% of Chapter 6 is a dream!

Disclaimer: A few words to describe Kingdom Hearts: epic, awesome, coolest game ever, and not owned by me.

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

_The teenage girl was searching for something in the woods, her violet eyes roaming the abused ground. She kept sweeping her shoulder-length light brown hair from her face and stumbled frequently on twisted and gnarled roots. She got to a certain spot and stopped, staring intently at the dead leaves and small twigs on the ground. She kneeled down and gently shifted the newly fallen leaves aside, exposing the more aged dirt underneath._

"_It's close," she muttered silently. She stood and continued her trek through the forest until she found a clearing that was bright with the sunshine that had been masked in the ever-growing forest. She searched the recently trampled earth, which was starting to recover from what looked like some kind of struggle. The girl slowly ghosted through the grass, studying the ground intensely._

_She stopped dead in her tracks when she found a dark spot staining the delicate grass. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her sobs of anguish as she sank to the earth, tears streaming down her face. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed into them, rocking back and forth. She cried until she could control herself, but then she began to speak out loud to someone who wasn't there._

"_I'm sorry. If I had just said yes, and you had come over, you wouldn't be-" Depression overwhelmed the teen, and she broke off into another bout of tears. After awhile, she regained composure and began speaking again._

"_It's all my fault. Everyone said that I shouldn't come here, that it was too dangerous. But I had to come to see what was left. I wanted to let you know that you were like a sister to me. You were more than just a best friend. Even when you said that you hated me, I knew that you never meant it. You were a truly incredible person, and I was lucky to have met you that one day in the park. I love you, Addy. Goodbye, best friend."_

_The girl stood and turned from what could only be the blood stain of her dead friend. The first step she took was followed by 20 or so Heartless erupting from the ground. The girl didn't seem to be scared; in fact, she smiled at the thought of her most certain death sentence._

_The Heartless studied her with their lamp-like eyes, debating on if she would fight to her death like the last one. In response, the girl laughed. It was a mirthless laugh. It sounded like shattering glass; cold and tinkling. She threw back her head, closed her eyes, and just laughed._

_She did this purposely; she didn't want to see the Heartless in front of her jump onto her and tear her heart out violently. She didn't want to see her heart turn to dust before her very eyes. So she kept her eyes closed as she collapsed on the ground, screaming. Everything was silent and then- black._

My eyes snapped open, revealing the unfamiliar room that I had been sleeping in. I sat up, but felt removed from myself, like I didn't even know who I was. I felt numb. I was jolted from my thoughts by a soft touch on my arm. I turned my head, and found a concerned Marluxia staring at me.

"Xelxa, what's going on?" he asked. I didn't know. What was going on? Without even thinking, I said the words that were repeating over and over in my mind.

"I just saw my death. And I caused Daxdy's."

End of Chapter 6

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><p>Greetings, fellow readers! Told you Chapter 6 was short! Bet you can't wait for Chapter 7, huh? But, I have some bad news for you. I'm not going to be able to update my story anytime soon. I'm going to be terribly busy for the next couple of weeks, so it's going to be awhile before I update again. D'X I <em>might<em> be able to update it in the next couple of days, but I'm not sure. So, since I let you guys down and I don't know what else to say, here's a song that identifies a bit with our story today! ~~~ I believe that dreams are sacred. Take my darkest fears and play them like a lullaby, like a reason why. Like a play of my obsessions, make me understand the lesson so I'll find myself. So I won't be lost again. All that I'm living for, all that I'm dying for, all that I can't ignore alone at night…~~~ All That I'm Living For by Evanescence


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I somehow found time in my schedule to type… which totally surprised me. YAY! On to chapter 7, where we will have wurst and potatoes and will train all day to beat the Allies! (Know what that's from?) Dear Andrew the Pichu that has Fire, since you never _**CALL ME BACK**_ (you really had no excuse, so :P to you), I have decided that ZEXION MUST DIE! Lol jk jk, don't kill me. My dear readers would be _heartbroken_. (Unless, of course, they don't have a heart. LAUGH AT THE PUN, JERKS!) So, on that wonderful note, here is Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: Germany, Germany, Germany is a really really nice place! Even though I'm your prisoner you give me food, and it doesn't- oh wait. Wrong one! But yes, when I own Kingdom Hearts, I'll own Hetalia- NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! (Which sucks because I would _totally_ date Germany) ;)

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

I buried my head in my hands, holding back tears. It was disturbing to see myself die, and even more so knowing that I caused my best friend to die, too. Marluxia put his arm around my shoulders, but I immediately shrugged him away. I get extremely uneasy when people touch my hair, shoulders, or neck. Marluxia was instantly hurt, and I felt awful for not telling him.

"S-sorry," I said, looking up at him. "I get nervous when people do that. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Marluxia was taken aback for some reason. His hurt hadn't shown on his face, had it? Oh no… what if he found out and thought I was a freak? Then I was going to be treated like a pariah by someone I considered my friend. And I don't think that I could take that. _Especially_ if it was Marluxia…

"It's okay," he said, opting for holding my hand instead. I squeezed it and buried my head in his shoulder, trying not to cry. I inhaled in his comforting, sweet scent. It calmed me down, and eventually I got control of my emotions. Marluxia was concerned, but he felt kind and sincere. There was a lot of friendship in his aura, too… I wanted to stay there forever in cozy silence with him, but knew that I needed to get up and leave to my room, where I would have to get ready for the day. I raised my head slowly, stood, and hugged Marluxia.

"Thank you," I whispered and walked into the hallway, closing the door softly behind me. Even numbered doors were across the hall, and odd numbers on the side of the hallway that I had come out on. I looked at Marluxia's door that had the number XI on it. That meant that my room, number XV, should be after number XIII's, which was probably in between mine and Marluxia's. Sure enough, I found the door to the left, after the number XIII.

My room was simple; white walls, a dresser, a desk, my own bathroom, and a small closet. I looked in the dresser and found some clothes that were my exact size and style. I chose a black v-neck t-shirt, a dark blue pleated skirt, and black, high-heeled boots with my organization cloak over it. I'm not big on skirts or dresses, but I wanted to look nice on my official first day. Hopefully I don't look weird… I don't want to stand out, but I don't want to blend in either. I want to be remembered, but in a good way. How to do that _here_, of all places, I have no idea.

I brushed and styled my long hair into a high ponytail, which took about 15 minutes because my hair was so long and thick. I swept on a bit of mascara and eyeliner, just to make myself look a bit more professional. How they knew that I wore make-up, even if only occasionally, I don't know. 'Stalkers! There are stalkers everywhere! You're never safe!' my voice screamed. _Shut up voice._

I portalled to the dining room, hoping that there was someone there that I knew. The only person there was an extremely tall guy sitting in a chair labelled V(Really? EVERYONE here is tall! Well, except for Daxdy. She's the only person shorter than me, and I'm 5 foot 3.) The guy was buff with orange gravity-defying hair and strong features. He looked up as I entered, and then looked back down at his huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, and oatmeal.

"Excuse me, but could you show me where the kitchen is?" I asked courteously. The man was apprehensive of me, but apparently his mind was on something else. His orange aura showed his thoughtfulness, ambition, self control, and courage. He rose and walked over to a door on the right hand side of the room. When he opened it, the fluorescent lights of a kitchen appeared.

"Thank you," I said politely and offered out my hand for him to shake. I wasn't usually so formal, but this man kind of scared me. I was afraid that he could gather me in his hands and crush me to a pulp with no effort. Wouldn't _that _be a wonderful way to die? I held out my hand to him. "My name is Xelxa. It's nice to meet you, Mr…?"

"Lexeaus," the man grunted, and grasped my hand firmly before going to sit down in his seat to finish his breakfast. He didn't seem so scary anymore. It was more like he wasn't sure of what to say than unfriendly. I stepped into the empty kitchen and headed for the pantry. I found a couple boxes of cereal, protein bars, soup cans, ramen, bread, various cooking ingredients, some weird green stuff in a bottle labelled "Property of Vexen: DO NOT TOUCH or face a terribly painful death"… I was about to give up when I spotted them. Pop-tarts!

I had always eaten pop-tarts as a kid. I _loved_ them, and there wasn't a flavor I _didn't_ like. I got out a package of the brown sugar cinnamon and hopped onto the island in the middle of the kitchen, unwrapping and eating my food in silence. I had finished my food, thrown away my trash, wiped away all the crumbs from my breakfast, and was about to leave when Vexen came storming through the kitchen door.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET ME AND ZEXION IN THE LAB FIVE MINUTES AGO!" he screamed mercilessly. His aura was red with anger, and I almost flinched. I felt like he was going to hit me.

I didn't necessarily want this job, but since it was forced upon me, there wasn't a way that I could get out of it. Part of me wanted to yell back, but the more sensitive, responsible, gentle part of me bowed her head and looked to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vexen. I lost track of time. I wont let it happen again, sir." I am such easy prey. I should have just rolled over on the ground and wagged my tongue like a dog for all that I was doing to stand up for myself. He _is_ my superior, though. I could have got in trouble for yelling at him. Plus, I don't want Vexen as an enemy. Even barely knowing him, I could tell that he would slip something into my food just to get back at me for insulting him.

Vexen almost immediately calmed down at my shameful expression. He was still angry, but a little blue kindness crept into his aura. I was still wary of him, knowing that someone like him was unstable. It wouldn't surprise me if he impulsively slapped me across the face. Plus, he _said _that I would be punished if I wasn't there on time. I deserved the penalty, so I closed my eyes and waited for him to strike, but nothing happened. A new emotion entered Vexen's aura… he pitied me?

"Come with me," he said, and grabbed me by the wrist, portalling to his lab. His voice was gruff, but underneath it, he wasn't really angry. WHY WAS VEXEN FEELING SORRY FOR ME? The next four hours and 24 minutes involved boring paper work, Vexen almost blowing up the castle three times, me getting seven bruises from bumping into the lab tables, and Zexion accidentally lighting my lab coat sleeve on fire.

At 12:00, I was working on my thesis statement on an experiment for Vexen, and my feet were killing me. Had this guy never heard of chairs? There wasn't one that I had seen in here yet. I was leaning over the one of the counters writing when I felt two arms wrap around my waist and a head rest on my shoulder. I froze and closed my eyes, hoping that whoever was behind me didn't see my blush. I do _not_ want to have to fight some weirdo pervert right now.

"Whatcha working on?" a familiar voice asked, and I relaxed significantly. I turned my head to the right to face Marluxia, who smiled at me devilishly. I rolled my eyes at him but smiled, enjoying his friendly company since Vexen and Zexion were a bit… silent, I guess you could say.

"Why should I tell you?" I asked playfully, closing the folder so he couldn't peek. "You could plot world domination with this information for all I know."

"So it_ is_ information worthy of world domination, huh? I think I deserve to read it. If you don't tell, I won't let go," Marluxia said wryly and pulled me closer to him. I stuck my tongue out at him, but he just laughed. "Still not letting go until you tell me…"

"Considering you hold true to your word, I'll tell you. This is a thesis statement about how the type of matter affects the speed of traveling sound waves, and things like how sounds will be louder if they travel through less dense matter and the most prime factor affecting the rate of sound travel is the medium which carries the sound waves. Now can you please let go?" I asked, pushing him away playfully. Marluxia released me and stepped away, still smiling. I was actually a bit disappointed when he let go.

"It's lunch time, so I was wondering if you wanted to go get something with me and then train for the rest of the afternoon." I thought about it for a second. I would _love_ to spend the rest of the afternoon with him, but I didn't know if it was okay with Vexen or not. Not that I really cared that I was missing time in the lab, but I didn't want Vexen to get mad at me _again_ for not being there.

"Umm, let me finish this thesis, and if there's anything else Vexen needs done before I leave then I'll do it, and when I'm finished we can leave. Sound good to you?" I asked as I opened the folder again and began to write in my neat cursive. I was eventually going to have to redo all of the files in the cabinets here; you could barely understand them because _some people_ *cough cough Vexen and Zexion cough* have _dreadful_ handwriting! I had been stressed all day trying to read the stupid files, just to find some of them incomplete or absolutely illegible. DARN YOU SCIENTISTS AND YOUR TERRIBLE HANDWRITING!

Marluxia nodded and tapped his foot, waiting for me to finish. He was very impatient, but I wasn't sure why. Maybe he didn't like Vexen and Zexion and wanted to get away from them or something. They weren't _that_ bad people, though. I just shrugged it off and finished my thesis, handing it to Vexen.

"Is there anything else you need for me to do before I take off for the rest of the day?" I asked. Vexen looked up from his vials that he was about to pour in to a solution and shook his head. I turned to Marluxia and he smiled, holding his arm out to me. I hooked arms with him and was about to walk out when I stopped at the door and turned back around.

"Don't pour in the yellow one! Remember what happens when sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid meet!" I called and walked out, laughing softly when I heard a voice call out "Thanks". Marluxia looked at me strangely.

"You must be pretty good at science, huh?" I shook my head at him. I wasn't really. I have a way of memorizing things without meaning to, so it made it easier for me to work in a place like the lab. That and I almost never have to read something more than once because I can remember it almost word for word.

"I don't care much for science, but since I memorize things easily, it makes an ideal job. My favorite part was probably botany. Like the _Nerium oleander_ is considered the most poisonous plant in the world." Marluxia was stunned. I stopped and looked up at him questioningly. What was going on with him today? First acting all… the only way to describe it was flirty (I tried not to redden as I thought this) and then acting completely odd the next second.

"You know botany?" I nodded at him. He seemed even more shocked than before.

"_What? _Don't look at me like that! I'm not a _complete_ airhead. I actually have _something_ going on in my head, just not things that others necessarily want to know…" I trailed off. Marluxia was showing self-control, and a lot of it. Yet again, I wondered why.

"I-it's nothing," Marluxia said, looking away. Was he…blushing? I just shook my head and dismissed it on my imagination. I must be losing my mind. Marluxia made a portal, and we exited into a dimly lit town. To the left was a little diner, to the right was a big door, and straight ahead was some stairs leading to an accessory shop, where the street split on both sides of it, one leading to the left and one to the right.

"Welcome to Traverse Town. Almost everyone whose world was lost ends up here. Not _everyone_, but most." Marluxia announced and led me to the diner, where we sat outside and ate a small lunch.

"So did you end up here?" I said in between bites of a cheeseburger. I didn't expect it to be very good, so it was a pleasant surprise when I realized that it was probably the best burger I've had in...well I don't really remember. Marluxia shook his head.

"Like I said, _almost_ everyone ends up here. You didn't, and I don't think anyone in the organization did either. We all appeared at the castle when our hearts were stolen." I pondered that while I ate.

"Do any Nobodies end up somewhere else other than the castle?" If so, then there might be other "organizations" out there that we haven't heard about. I might find somewhere I belong…

"Not that we know of, no. If they did, then they haven't attracted any attention for us to investigate." So. There goes my fantasy of finding somewhere else to go. Not that I necessarily_ wanted_ to leave. I had Daxdy and Marluxia, so there wasn't reason to walk away. Yet.

"What about rogues? Has there been anybody that's left the organization?" Marluxia's features instantly went dark. That was _definitely_ not a good sign. His aura turned cold. There was fear and anger, but there was friendship and sincerity.

"Don't even _think_ about it. You'll die trying. You run, they'll find you and eventually eliminate you, as effortless as snapping your fingers. If they hunt you down and you try to fight…" Marluxia gave a mirthless laugh. "Well, you're signing your death certificate, right then and there. They won't hesitate to outnumber you. If anyone _does_ anything to stop them from killing you, they will consider that person a traitor and execute them, too. Remember that before you run off."

His words chilled me to the core. They'll hunt me down and eliminate me. Easy as that; no hesitation, no second thoughts because if you stop, then you'll die too. We had both stopped eating, and Marluxia was staring at me seriously.

"And what makes you think I'm going to leave?" I asked delicately, looking into his eyes. He was spot on the point, but I wasn't going to let him know that. He was going to hold that against me, and I didn't want him to have an advantage over me. I always want the upper hand; you'll have a batter chance at winning the argument.

"I can tell by the look in your eyes. You were thinking about it. _Weren't you?_" His voice was reprimanding and unwavering. He was nervous. He knew the truth, but he didn't want me to confirm his fear. That would make it all too final for him. I looked down.

"No. Forget that I even asked." This enraged him. I don't know why, because I'm pretty sure that he wanted me to deny it. Or was his anxiety something else?

"_Don't lie to me_! You were thinking about leaving, weren't you? _WEREN'T YOU?_" I flinched at his words. They cut me like a freshly sharpened knife blade; opening wounds that I never even knew were there. I clenched my fists. Years of being yelled at burst through my mind, and I realized that if it was up to me, I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life being bullied like I used to.

"Don't speak to me like that. Like you know everything and I don't. You mean _nothing_ to me, and from the way things are going now, you won't _ever_ be something to me. So stop trying to be my 'big brother'. You're such a pathetic excuse for a person that I don't even know if you deserve to be called one," I hissed at him, glaring. I could see that I wounded him deeply, but for the moment, I didn't care. I wanted him to hurt like I was hurting right now.

"Maybe you should think about _other_ people for a change. How do you think everyone will react when they find out that they'll have to kill you? Knowing Daxdy, she'll stand up for you, and you'll cause her death _again_. Do you _really_ want that for her? And even if she _doesn't_ die, what will happen to her after? Think about your best friend for once." I could hear the unspoken, "…think about me." at the end of his sentence. But I didn't control my temper. I wasn't overcome by electricity, but I was as angry as I could be without it. Which is extremely severe anger.

"Don't even _pull_ that crap on me, Marluxia. You act like you don't have regrets, because I _know_ you do. I can see _right through_ you. You're nothing more than a setback. You want to hurt me? Go ahead. Kill me now, because I'd rather _die_ than go back to that prison. That's what it is, isn't it? You've been there for how long? And you _still_ haven't got a heart. When will you get one, hmm?" I sneered back, taunting him. Marluxia, who I could tell was close to breaking point, stood, towering over me.

"I shouldn't have brought you here. This was a waste of time. We need to go back. Now." He grabbed my shoulder, but I jerked away and smacked into someone behind me. The anonymous person caught my bandaged left wrist before I fell over and steadied me.

I said thank you to the stranger, and turned to find a man with long platinum hair, one jet-black wing, bright teal eyes that were slit almost like a cat's, and wearing a long black coat. Oh, and he was _really_ tall. I wonder if caffeine stunts your growth, because I had been drinking coffee since I was 10 years old, and I _obviously_ wasn't the tallest person.

"Sephiroth," Marluxia said frostily, glaring at the man's hand on my wrist. I stood still, watching Sephiroth's body language. He showed entirely nothing on the exterior, but from his aura I could see he was pleased, probably by Marluxia's response to him touching me and my obvious cluelessness, but he was also extremely tired of something. Or at least, he _was_ until he saw Marluxia's apparent displeasure. Oh no… I could tell that this wasn't going to end well.

"So, Xemnas has new recruits, huh? Well, I might just have to pay the old man a visit, now won't I?" Sephiroth smiled evilly. Marluxia was further angered by that. He was trying hard not to hit him, it looked like. I tried to pull my wrist from Sephiroth's grasp, but he tightened it so hard that I could feel the cut reopen and start to bleed again. This guy _dared _to mess with me? I was about to summon my weapon when Marluxia's words stopped me in my tracks.

"The last time you got hold of one of our members, they had to spend a month in rehab. Let go of her." I wondered who the person was. Sephiroth just smiled wider. His aura was full of happiness as he pressed harder on my wrist. He then twisted it to the side, and I heard a snap as a spasm of excruciating pain shot down to it, causing me to cry out with tears in my eyes. I stood stock still, though. I knew that he wanted me to fight him off. If I fought him, it gave him an even better excuse to hurt me. Marluxia grew furious, but right before he charged Sephiroth, I called out to him.

"Don't!" Marluxia looked over to me. "If you do, it'll give him a better excuse to attack. Just… go back to the castle and tell Superior or something. You'll know where to find me."

Sephiroth and Marluxia were both taken aback at my statement, but I urgently stared at Marluxia, and he understood. We were going to hoodwink Sephiroth and try to frighten him. Although there was about a 95% probability that he would take me anyway, this would mislead him to think that the organization had something that he didn't. I just hoped that Marluxia would go ahead and let Sephiroth take me without doing something stupid to get us _both_ killed. I wasn't a huge contribution to the organzation anyway, so it wouldn't matter if I died or anything. But what _really_ sucked was that I was getting kidnapped on my first day. _Nice going._

Sephiroth made a portal of darkness at the same time that Marluxia lunged at him. Sephiroth threw me against a wall and summoned an impossibly long katana. The last thing I remember is my head hitting the wall and everything going black as Marluxia faced his most certain death.

End of Chapter 7

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><p>YAAYY- I mean… DARN! I got knocked out by some random stranger named Sephiroth, who thinks its funny to torture people! (That is called a sadist, my dear readers. Using it in a sentence- Psycho Larxene and merciless Sephiroth are both sadists.) Do I get kidnapped, or does the valiant Marluxia save me? What was it with him playing with me in the lab, and then telling me off in Traverse Town? Does he care, or is he just doing what he has to do to make me trust and listen to him? <em>WHO KNOWS?<em> I do! :P But you don't, so haha to you! I totally rock! "Awesome me!" Who says that? Review me with the answer, and the first person gets a splendid shoutout! - Cheap way to get people to review. I know, I know. I JUST WANT TO BE _LOVED_! This next song talks about the Sephiroth incident… somewhat. IT WAS THE ONLY SONG THAT I COULD COME UP WITH AT THE TIME THAT APPLIED TO THE STORY, OKAY? _Geez!_ ~~~ I'm frightened by what I see, but somehow I know that there's much more to come. Immobilized by my fear, and soon to be blinded by tears. I can stop the pain if I will it all away. If I will it all away. Don't turn away; don't give in to the pain. Don't try to hide, though they're screaming your name. Don't close your eyes; God knows what lies behind them. Don't turn out the light. Never sleep, never die~~~ Whisper by Evanescence


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I wanted to apologize for the note that was put here in this chapter previously, and I just want to apologize to SoulReaperNinja713 for wrongly accusing you (and if anybody else who's reading this has no idea what I'm talking about, then that's okay. Just roll with it ;D). So I'm really sorry to all of you and hope you can accept my apology.

Disclaimer: I love Kingdom Hearts, don't get me wrong, but I don't own it. I'd get in trouble with the feds for not posting this disclaimer. "How to win a case in court: if the law is on your side, pound on the law; if the facts are on your side, pound on the facts; if neither is on your side, pound on the table." ~ Unknown (I DON'T EVEN OWN _THAT_!) :(

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

The first thing that came to mind when I regained consciousness was Marluxia, and how he was going to die by Sephiroth's hands. No mercy, no final goodbyes. The only thing I could think about was how I had purposely insulted him and hurt his feelings just to get back at him. About how I told him that I didn't care about him. It seemed unbearable to go on, knowing that I caused someone else that I cared about to die. And there was no second chance for him. I would never get to see him again…

I sat straight up and opened my eyes, calling out his name urgently. I was in Vexen's lab, but I didn't see anybody there. I quickly slid off of the lab table and started to run out. I _had_ to find out if he was okay. Somebody unseen grasped my hand and I turned, finding the subject of my thoughts standing behind me, smiling kindheartedly. Well, as kindheartedly as you could get without a heart.

"Marluxia!" I screamed in delight and flung my arms around his stomach, practically tackling him. He stumbled back a couple of steps, but caught his balance by leaning against the lab table. He was thoughtful, sincere, and very happy. I buried my head in his chest, breathing in his sweet, almost floral scent while he hugged me back.

"I got so scared. I thought you died," I whispered quietly. "And it was my entire fault. I'm sorry. I didn't mean those things I said. If I just had a better control of my temper. I just couldn't stand knowing that I'd never see you again. That I'd never apologized." Tears formed in my eyes, and I let them come. Soon, they escalated, and less than a minute later I was sobbing.

"Shh, shh. It's okay. I pressed you, and I shouldn't have. That was wrong of me. I'm sorry, too." Marluxia said and hugged me tighter, rubbing my back comfortingly. We stood like that in silence until I eventually ran out of tears and pulled away, rubbing my eyes, sure that I had smudged my make-up.

"What happened with Sephiroth? Are you hurt?" I asked, hoping that there wasn't any damage inflicted. If there was, I didn't care about the consequences- I was going to track down Sephiroth myself and let him know what I thought of it. Not a pretty scene…

"Nope. Nothing at all, other than a hole where my heart should be," Marluxia chuckled. I sighed in relief. His words sparked a memory in my mind of a song, and the more I thought about it, the better I remembered it.

Bottom of Form 2

"I know that I can find the fire in your eyes. I'm going all the way. Get away, please," I sang melodically. "You take the breath right out of me, and left a hole where my heart should be. You've gotta fight just to make it through, 'cause I will be the death of you." Marluxia was stunned, literally. He stood there motionless, just staring at me.

"Even though you annoyed me, it's great to have you back, human iPod," a voice called out behind me. Daxdy and Zexion were standing over by the entrance to the lab, watching me and Marluxia. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, at least I can sing in _English_," I teased, but smiled. Marluxia was still shocked. I poked him in the stomach playfully, and he finally smiled.

"Sorry. It just surprised me. I didn't think you could really sing… well, I didn't _expect_ it. Because you _can_ sing well, I just-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, lover boy. You like her- so what? Just ask her out already or something," Daxdy interrupted. Marluxia glared at her, blushing fiercely. Wait… What? He… liked me?

"You may have forgotten, Daxdy, but I am incapable of loving. Just as we all are." What did he mean he was incapable of loving? Was it something that happened in his past that he couldn't get over? But he said that we _all_ weren't able to love.

"Wait, what do you mean we're 'incapable of loving'?" I asked quickly, before Daxdy could throw another insult at Marluxia. It made no sense… How can we not love? Daxdy and Zexion were both astonished and a bit angry. Why?

"_You didn't_ _tell her?_" Daxdy said in a low, threatening voice. Tell me what? Apparently it was something important. Then again, Daxdy always _was_ a bit… overdramatic.

"Surely you must have known that this was going to happen," Zexion said quietly, staring at Marluxia intently. Marluxia was embarrassed, and a bit flustered. He stood there stuttering for a couple seconds before he faced me. I just stood there in silence because I knew it was probably essential; very need-to-know.

"Well, umm… I'm not sure how to break this to you but, well, us Nobodies, when we lose out heart, we- we lose our emotions. These things you feel, they… they're not real. They're the ghost of what you used to feel. We're not capable of sentiment."

"Not capable of… emotion?" I asked after a couple of seconds, trying to process his words. Maybe I had heard wrong. These things I saw… these auras… were they not real? They _had_ to be. _'But what if they aren't?'_ my mind whispered. _'What if you really __**are**__ insane?'_

Marluxia slowly nodded, and Daxdy and Zexion both felt bad for me. No, I _thought_ they felt bad for me. These auras weren't real, were they? They were a figment of my imagination, but I had a feeling that they would never go away. Without even realizing it, I took a step back and shook my head.

"No. We- we DO have emotions! You're wrong! I- I _can't_ be insane," I protested. I didn't even think about what I said before I spoke. I just said everything on my mind while staring at the floor. I couldn't bear to see their faces.

"Y-you don't realize that I can _see_ them. I see the emotions; your auras. I know what you feel, I know when you lie, and I know everything about these… these _things_ that won't leave me alone. I ran away last night because it was too much. I felt like I was drowning; I couldn't breathe."

I looked up into the shaken faces of the three people, pleading with them to understand. They probably thought I was mad or that I belonged in a psychological hospital. I probably did.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" I screamed. "Just because I can see them doesn't mean that it changes who I am!" I pointed at Daxdy, whose self control was growing smaller by the milli-seconds.

"You best control yourself, Daxdy! You need to work on your self control, because it's dwindling fast, and if you touch me, I swear I'll slap you." I clenched my fist and Daxdy's eyes widened.

"What the FUDGE!" she said astonished. I just shook my head at her and turned to leave. I stopped when I heard Zexion speak.

"I've never met someone that can see the Human Electromagnetic Field. Do you see other organism's auras, or just humans? Is it related to the chakras, or is it just overall emotions? How far do the auras extend from someone's body?" I sighed and turned to face him.

"For all I know, I only see human auras. Now, if it is related to the five chakras, I doubt it. The auras extend two to three feet from a person, so about a meter on all sides. I can feel someone from at least 30 feet away, but, demonstrating with what happened when I woke up just now, if I'm unconscious and someone next to me has an aura that isn't changing, I might not notice them."

Zexion nodded, Daxdy looked like she was waging a war inside of her head, and Marluxia just stood there staring at me. I looked at him tiredly, letting him know that I didn't want to say any more and that I still had hope that things could return back to normal.

"Please don't tell anyone," I whispered, which made Daxdy angry immediately. I shot her a death stare, and she backed off a bit. I felt bad, but that was the only way that I could get my point across without having her cut me off.

"I just don't want anyone to find out, okay? If you say _one word_ to someone, I _will_ find out. You can't lie to me. Plus, they all think I'm crazy anyway. I'd rather not add to that reputation, please. Now, if you excuse me, Marluxia and I have a training session to go to."

I grabbed the pink-haired boy's hand and led him out of the room, leaving the two blue-nettes staring in disbelief behind us. His hand was warm, and it felt good on my ice-cold fingers. I was kind of toying with the idea that he liked me, but I dropped it. It was probably Daxdy being her usual trouble starting self.

"Say something. You're making me nervous," I said as I marched through the white hallways. He was nervous, but also curious and surprised.

"What is there to say?" I stopped and turned around to face him, looking up into his sky blue eyes urgently.

"_I don't know!_ That you won't think any less of me, that I'm still the person you know, something to make me feel better instead of just standing there making it an awkward silence." Marluxia just shrugged, smiling a bit and leaning closer to me so that our faces were inches apart.

"You can pretty much read my mind, so it's not really necessary to speak, is it?" I rolled my eyes at him, but on the inside, I was wondering if he leaned in closer because he liked me or if he just did that to make his point.

"I read _emotions_, not minds. I can see what you feel, but not the reason that you feel them. Plus, if I read minds, I would have infiltrated everybody's heads already and plotted world domination while using blackmail. That and I'd love to see what _you_ think about. I can never figure it out, and it bugs the crap out of me."

Marluxia grinned and ruffled my hair like a big brother. I scrunched my nose at him and ducked out from underneath his hand.

"Hopefully you never _will_ see inside my mind. You wouldn't like it. A little too dark for you, I think," he laughed. I smirked deviously and summoned a Japanese sai.

"Really? I could've been a serial killer for all _you_ know." Marluxia just shook his head. I jabbed at him with it playfully, and he caught my wrist, spinning me around so that my back was to his chest and his arm was wrapped around me, holding my wrist so the sai was pointed out from himself.

"I seriously doubt that," he whispered in my ear, sending a chill down my spine. That ensued an all-out war in the hallway, where I tried to outsmart him and get him in a position where I could theoretically kill him. I lost every time. I was close a couple of times, but I always made a small mistake and ended up getting "killed".

"You're a cheater!" I said as I stood up from the ground, pushing his scythe away from me and grabbing mine that was identical to his. Marluxia just laughed.

"You just can't take that I'm the ultimate scythe master. Bask in my glory!" he said, throwing his arm up and causing black rose petals to float all around me, showing my defeat. I grabbed a handful of them and threw them back in his face. "Show off," I muttered.

Marluxia made a fake sad face and sniffed, wiping his eye. "Somebody's a bad sport," he mocked. Without warning I ran and jumped on top of him, tackling him to the ground. He flipped me around and pinned my wrists to my sides. I smiled and brought my knees up to my chest, pushing him back with my feet and knocking him to the wall opposite of me. We both jumped up and slowly circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"WHOOO, GO XELXA!" somebody cried, making me lose my concentration. I looked over at Axel, who was standing about 30 away. I straightened up, waved, and was about to speak to him when Marluxia pounced, forcing me to the floor and knocking the breath out of me.

"I win, 17-0. Never take your eyes off of the attacker, no matter what distraction presents itself." Marluxia said, getting off of me. I glared and stood, waiting to catch my breath.

"Not"-gasp-"fair." Axel came and slapped me on the back, forcing the breath out of me even more.

"Oh, sorry. That's okay; most of the castle can't beat him anyway. I can because of my epic fire power, but Xigbar isn't so lucky. Well, half the time he's either drunk with Luxord or doing something illegal, so he's easy to beat most of the time."

I raised an eyebrow. So my fight with Xigbar wasn't technically real. I wasn't surprised that he did illegal things. Or that he got drunk frequently. It was to be expected from someone like him. I smiled to myself. I sounded like such a stuck-up snob.

"Dinner's ready, and you guys are about…" Axel checked his watch. "20 minutes late."

"Doesn't that mean you're late, too?" I questioned the red-head. Axel grinned deviously and put his arm around my shoulders. I shrugged it off, but still smiled at him.

"I'm making them wait for my awesomeness. The Flurry of Dancing Flames will not be ordered around!" Flurry of… Dancing Flames? Was that some kind of nickname or something? Seeing the confused look on my face, Marluxia stepped in.

"The whole organization has… what I'd guess you'd call code names. Xemnas is The Superior, Xigbar is the Freeshooter, Xaldin is the Whirlwind Lancer, Vexen is the Chilly Academic, Lexeaus is the Silent Hero, Zexion is the Cloaked Schemer, Saix is the Luna Diviner, Axel is the Flurry of Dancing Flames-"

"_**WHOO!**_ Start the rave music! We're gonna _paaaaaartaaayyy_!" Axel interjected. Marluxia glared, but Axel just stuck his tongue out at him. I suppressed a giggle. These guys were pretty funny, even if they did annoy each other.

"As I was _saying_, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, Demyx is the Melodious Nocturne, Luxord is the Gambler of Fate, Larxene is the Savage Nymph, and Roxas is the Key of Destiny. We haven't determined yours or Daxdy's name yet. Well, Superior might have, but he didn't tell us. He almost never does."

I processed all that he said. I hadn't met Xaldin or Roxas. Other than that I was pretty sure that I had been introduced to everyone else. I went through all the names in my head. They suited everyone perfectly. Wait a second. I looked up curiously at Marluxia.

"What's your name?" Marluxia flushed a bit, and Axel went, "_Ooooh!_ Mar-mar is embarrassed!" making the whole moment just a bit awkward. Not that it hadn't been awkward before, but it just made the awkwardness more noticeable. Marluxia wrung his hands together.

"I'm the Graceful Assassin." I nodded appreciatively. It suited him. The way he walked and talked, the way he could take me down almost immediately. I don't know why he'd be embarrassed about it. I loved it.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed, and headed down the hallway. I looked back at the boys. "C'mon, let's go eat!"

But something was wrong. They were frozen in their tracks, and their auras showed shock and fear. It was like they were looking right through me- or directly behind me. Right as I turned to see who it was, my back started to burn, and I could feel blood soaking everything. I crumpled to the ground, and when I tried to get up, I felt something connect with the back of my head, and then there was nothing but blissful silence…

End of Chapter 8

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><p>Sorry for the cheesiness in the beginning of the chapter. I couldn't resist X3. So, who is Marluxia and Axel both scared of? Does Marluxia really like Xelxa? Is Xelxa developing "feelings" for him? What happened with Sephiroth? Will anyone else find out about Xelxa seeing auras? Why am I asking all of these questions? The answers to these are all mysteries. Well, they are to YOU. <em>I<em> know the answers, but I'm not talking. (Starts stitching mouth closed like Andy Sixx on Black Veil Brides first album cover) YOU WILL NEVER KNOW! Unless I tell you. But that'll be awhile, just so you know. Or _**WILL**_ it? This is a song that I'm obsessed with, but I'm not allowed to have it. It's my secret, addicting song that has nothing to do with this chapter. _**OR DOES IT?**_ This song is my guilty pleasure ;D ~~~ Is it the way that you talk that's causing me to freak? Is it the way that you laugh that's making my heart beat? Is it the way that you kiss? It's gotta be the way you taste. (You taste) (You taste) (You taste) You're such a gorgeous nightmare! Old habits never seem to go away. You make me feel brand new, yeah. We resurrect; it's like I've come back to life. Oh, I feel so alive! Oh, I feel so alive! First impressions are hard to erase; etched in my mind and just won't go away. Maybe I'm playing my cards way too safe- I've gotta change. (Change) (Change) (Change) ~~~ Gorgeous Nightmare by Escape the Fate


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: One thing I _love_ to do is play with the garbage disposal on the sink. I love putting random food objects into and watch them get sucked into the swirling vortex of the blades. But then I think of the poor guys at the water company who have to deal with the disgusting leftovers that are from last week that were set to rot in their pans and come home every night smelling like trash. I would just shake it off and continue to play with the garbage disposal. Then, in a 30 year fast-forward, you see me, standing there in the repulsive factory, having to mess with other people's old, moldy food. All those years of playing with the garbage disposal have come back to haunt me. I haven't played with the garbage disposal since I thought of this outcome. Oh, and this chapter involves a lot of pain and blood, so if you don't like it, then I am very sorry. I've been reading a book about zombies coming to life and eating people- tearing off their victim's flesh and eating their faces off and stuff. Gore has been on the mind :D

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, then you can go ahead a plop it in the garbage disposal, because I'm pretty sure it would suck. I MADE A PUN! YOU MUST LAUGH!

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

My head felt like someone had run it over with a monster truck. I moaned in pain and clutched the back of my throbbing skull, feeling for the damage. My hair was matted with something sticky, and I knew it was blood. It felt like someone had held a candle from my left shoulder blade to the middle of my lower back. I opened my eyes and found myself in a grand room, lying on my left side in a four poster bed with a wine red canopy. The black curtains were drawn, making it hard to decipher if it was day or night. The carpet was a plush, chocolate-y brown, and the walls were painted the same color as the canopy on the bed. There were many gold accents throughout the room, and there was a giant crackling fire in the fireplace that was supplying all of the light in the room.

Someone walked into the room, but I didn't look up. I just closed my eyes, not caring where I was or who kidnapped me. I just wanted the pain to end. That's all I desired. I knew that there were potions that could return me back to normal, but whoever had taken me wanted me to suffer. Obviously, because I STILL FELT LIKE CRAP!

"I know you are awake," the voice said. It was male, deep, and chilling. His aura only showed humor and pride. The fool. That pride will kill him one day. Or so I hoped. The voice sounded familiar, though. I couldn't tell who it was, but I really didn't want to think about it. I felt a cold piece of metal trace my right arm, making me shiver. He was going to hurt me, but I ignored him. Without hesitating, the man slashed my arm from shoulder to elbow. My eyes flew open as I gasped, clutching the new wound he had created, feeling the blood running down and staining my clothes as well as the bed I was laying on.

"You have no respect for me, which will result in pain for yourself." I rolled out so that my feet reached the floor, and then attempted to stand to face him while holding my arm. My back felt like someone had seared it with flames. My legs gave way, and since I couldn't support my weight on anything because I was holding my arm, I fell onto my knees, doubled over, in front of the stranger. I could see the impossibly long sword he was holding in his hand, stained with my blood. There was only one person I knew who had a sword like that.

"Sephiroth," I choked out in between gasps. His aura showed surprise. What- he didn't think that I'd remember the guy that tried to attack me and one of my best friends? His black gloved hand reached down to my chin, trying to make me look at him. I jerked my head away, refusing to look him in the eye. I knew he would find happiness in seeing my pain, so I wasn't going to let him see the true hurt- the fear in my eyes.

"Since you seem to know my name, what is yours? And don't think about not answering unless you want to bleed out slowly," he said. I bet he had a sick grin on his face; the smile of a killer.

"Go ahead," I spat put, still looking at the floor, my hair framing my face. "Kill me. I _want_ to die, but there's something you should know. They'll hunt you down, and they _will_ kill you. So go on. _I dare you_."

This shocked him. He had a prisoner that wanted to die? I could tell he wasn't sure what to do. He was uncertain- killing me was out of the question because I wanted it, and I wasn't exactly responding to torture the way he wanted me to. I smiled. I didn't really care if I died. Well, Marluxia and Daxdy would, but I was sure they'd get over it by avenging my death and whatnot. I'd never get to find out if Marluxia liked me, though…

"You _will_ tell me your name," Sephiroth demanded, and without warning, he struck me across the face. The strength of his slap forced me to the ground, and I knew that if this continued, I would most likely die. For the other's sakes, I had to stay alive. They would go on a rampage- or at least I knew that Daxdy would. Not a pretty picture- especially for a greeting card, let me tell you.

I sat up from the ground, and attempted to stand up, taking the hand away from my still bleeding wound and placing it on the bedpost so that I could put my weight on it. I was surprised by how much blood was on my hand, but at the same time, I wasn't. It was a large wound; there was bound to be a lot of blood. I stood up slowly, channeling my pain into the bed post, squeezing it so hard I was sure my hand was going to break. I was able to stand up straight, and when I did, I looked up at Sephiroth and gave him the happiest smile I could. That enraged him. He gripped my throat, picked me up so our faces were even with each other's, and then slammed me into the nearest wall, making me cry out in pain.

"You _will_ tell me your name, and you will tell me _now_." I looked into his cold eyes, and he grinned sadistically, knowing that he had won. He had forced me to speak, even if it was just a cry of pain. I just glared at him this time and pointed to my throat with my left hand since it hurt too much to move my right arm, signaling that I couldn't speak with him clutching my throat like that. He dropped me and I fell on my feet.

"My name does not concern you. But, if you _must_ know, it's Xelxa. I know you're sadistic, I know that you're freaked out because I want to die, I know you're enraged when I smile because you can't crack me, and I know that you have no idea what to do with me because I have told you that you will die if you kill me. Pain is weakness leaving the body. So _please_, do not hesitate to hurt me. I'm a masochist, and I'm proud to admit it. _Do your worst._"

Sephiroth showed nothing on his face, but his aura was something different. He was confused, curious, amazed, shocked, and everything in between. He was a bit scared of me too. I knew he was because I was asking him to hurt me, and I wasn't going to give in. I also knew that his curiosity probably meant he was going to test my limits; he was going to see how long it took for me to crack.

"You will only get yourself killed by speaking," he said, walking over to the door.

"This door is magically locked; you cannot leave. There are clothes in the wardrobe, a bathroom to your left, and I will deliver all of your meals. You will have to find a way to entertain yourself, because I am not going to be around all of the time. Also, when you get hurt, there is no first aid kit, so you will have to deal with the wounds as best you can, because I will do nothing to save you. You will be punished as I see fit."

Sephiroth then walked out of the door, leaving me leaning up against the wall. I sighed and walked over to the wardrobe. I might as well take a bath and get out of these blood-stained clothes. The second I opened the wardrobe, I wished that Sephiroth was still in here so I could kick his butt, injured or not.

_Every single_ piece of clothing in the wardrobe was a _dress_. They were all long, fancy gowns that you expect someone to wear to a prom or a wedding. Not a captive who will get beaten senseless every single day. I picked the least girly one, a simple floor-length, spaghetti strap black dress with a low neckline. I took the dress and hauled it into the bathroom. Inside the bathroom was a full length mirror, and I stared at myself in it.

My hair was tangled and frizzy except for one side where it was stuck together with blood. I felt the wound on the back of my head. It wasn't really big, only about an inch in length, like somebody had kicked me in the back of the head with a boot. Which I'm guessing Sephiroth did. Almost every single inch of me from head to knees was covered in blood. The back of my shirt was in tatters, and I realized that my organization cloak and gloves were gone. The slash on my back had scabbed over, but the cut on my arm was still fresh. Nothing was too deep; the scars were meant to bleed, not to fatally injure me.

I knew that if I showered, the pressure mixed with intense heat might hurt me even more, so I filled the expensive looking bathtub full of steaming water and slowly lay down in it, trying not to scream in pain from the water burning me. The liquid in the tub turned a light magenta color, signaling that all of the blood was coming off. I washed my hair and made sure that all of the blood on me was gone before stepping out of the tub and letting the stained water flow down the drain.

I pulled on my clothes and stared at the familiar stranger in the mirror. It looked like me, but it didn't at the same time. The girl in the reflection didn't look like she could smile. She was pale, and I could see a glint of fear in her eyes. But I knew that the girl was me. I knew those eyes, I knew that hair, and I _certainly_ knew her attitude. But there was no way that I was going to give up. I was going to fight to stay alive, because I knew that my life was on the line. I walked back into the room, curling up into an armchair and finally falling asleep by the roaring fire.

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><p><em>I was sitting in the dark, in the middle of nowhere. It was all blackness with a spotlight on me. I couldn't see beyond the light's circumference, so I just sat there, waiting for someone or something to happen. Somebody stepped from the shadows, and it took me a couple of seconds to recognize who it was.<em>

"_Marluxia!" I called and embraced him in a hug. He stiffened and pushed me away so hard than I fell on the ground._

"_Don't touch me." I looked up at him, and he advanced on me, summoning his scythe. I tried to run away, but he slashed my back, causing me to plummet to the floor. He then cut my arm and threw his scythe to the ground. He then sat beside me, watching me bleed with a smile while he held me in his arms._

"_Wh- why?" I asked him, crying silently and reaching up to him. He just smirked, and then he morphed into Sephiroth. I immediately recoiled, but Sephiroth held me down, forcing me to stay still while he split my skull with his katana. The ground dropped from underneath me and I fell, going further and further into the darkness, screaming and bleeding and fading until I was nothing but a shadow._

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><p>My eyes snapped open, and I sat up in the chair, looking around. Sephiroth was sitting in the couch to my right across from the fire. I narrowed my eyes, but said nothing when he handed me a platter of soup, crackers, and water. I know that it would be easier to comply with him, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I needed food. I turned my head away from him, refusing to take the tray.<p>

"You decline food? You will need it if you're going to survive this." Well, _duh_. I know. You're going to offer me food, and then if I eat it, you will beat me so badly that I might vomit. If I _don't_ eat it, you will beat me so badly that I will become even weaker than I am now. It's a lose-lose situation. I want to take the path where I can still have at least _some_ of my dignity left after you pound me senseless.

Sure enough, Sephiroth set the tray on the coffee table and stepped toward me. I just sighed, rolled my eyes, and stood up, which made him pretty angry, but also exasperated at the same time. How dare I treat him like he is nothing? Blah blah blah, yeah yeah. I know, I am _so_ disrespectful. But he was exasperated because I wasn't scared. I just stood up to take my punishment like it was nothing.

First he kicked me in the stomach, forcing me to the ground. I just got up again and stared boredly up at him. He then got out his katana and cut the side of my face along my cheek bone. I winced, but stood still as I felt the blood drip down my face like tears. He ran the blade along my neck, making it weep blood, but not enough to make me pass out. He held his sword over his head like he was going to cut me in half, and I raised left my arm to defend myself, resulting in a cut similar to what emo people do to themselves.

At the thought of Sephiroth being emo, I started laughing. An emo, one winged fallen angel that liked to torture people. I think I was on the edge of hysteria, because I would've never laughed at that before. Sephiroth thought I was mocking him, and I could tell that he was done being merciful. He grabbed my right arm and forced it up, slashing the cut on the back of my arm open again, making me stop laughing and gasp in pain. Having lost a lot of blood and not eating was taking its toll on me. I started to get a bit dizzy, but tried to stay on my feet.

He then punched me square in the face, knocking me backwards against the wall. He walked over to my slumped figure on the floor and stuck the tip of his katana into my stomach, twisting it around to make the wound bigger. I tried to catch my breath, but kept choking on the air that entered my burning lungs. The wall and floor around me started to stain with blood, and I leaned my head back on the wall closing my eyes, waiting for the whooshing in my head to stop.

"Have you had enough yet?" he asked. I could feel his happiness overwhelming me. He was like an addict, and hurting me was giving him a high. I knew that if I said yes, he would leave and let me eat. But then he would be winning. And I was _not_ going to give him that satisfaction. So I just sat there in silence trying to get my breathing back to normal. He grabbed my left wrist, the one that he had broken before, and held it tightly in his hand.

"I _said_, have you had _enough_?" I knew what was going to happen, but I shook my head anyway, so imperceptibly that if he hadn't been looking, he wouldn't have noticed. But I knew he was looking because he twisted my wrist backwards, and it snapped. I almost screamed out, but instead bit my bottom lip so hard that it started to bleed. Sephiroth let go, and I cradled my hand to my chest and opened my eyes, looking up at him. He gave a triumphant smile and turned, leaving the room.

I sat there motionlessly and waited until I thought I could move across the room to eat. The second I moved, spasms of pain erupted throughout my body, and I screamed. There was no way that I was getting to the other side of the room to eat. I was in way too much pain.

So I sat there, waiting for nothing. Because nothing was going to happen if someone didn't rescue me. I hoped they hurried. If things continued to go the way that they were going now, in a couple of days, there will be no-one left to rescue.

End of Chapter 9

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><p>AN: Xelxa was kidnapped by Sephiroth, and it seems as if he enjoys beating her. She's not a fan of it, but her pride and dignity stop her from giving in. Which means that she could die any day now… I don't even know _how_ I came up with this chapter. I'm just in the mood for blood and violence and stuff. Oh, yeah and the italics is a dream for those who can't tell. So, anyway, since Xelxa found it _so_ funny that Sephiroth was emo… ~~~ I wear skin-tight clothes while hating my life. If I said I liked girls, I'd only be half right. I look like I'm dead and dress like a homo… I must be emo. Screw Xbox, I play old-school Nintendo… I must be emo. I like to whine and hit my parentals… I must be emo. Me and my friends all look like clones. I must be eeemo! ~~~ Emo Kid by Adam and Andrew (I feel like tacos)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Xelxa was kidnapped by Sephiroth (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you need to go read my other chapters :D) and now she's sure she is going to die. When are the others going to save her? Who knows? But anyway, I'm so stuck that I've decided to just type the first thing that comes to mind. So if it's a bit short, I am truly sorry. I've found that my chapters are getting shorter. I'll work on that. ;D We're in the double digits now! Enjoy Chapter 10!

Disclaimer: I own Kingdom Hearts! Did you miss the memo? Lol jk, as if!

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Everything blurred into a long stretch of time. I couldn't tell if it was day or night, what day it was, nothing. I eventually classified my time by when Sephiroth was there or not, which sucked because when he was there, I knew I was going to get hurt. The cycle was always the same. I would spend long hours doing nothing and finally falling asleep. Most of the time when I woke up, Sephiroth was there with food. I would refuse to eat, he'd beat me, and then I lay there until I felt like I could move without too much pain, which could take hours, days, who knows? I'd eat and then sleep. When I woke, I would bathe and change clothes, and then the cycle would repeat over and over again.

I stopped speaking to Sephiroth. He would talk to me, order me around, whatever, and I'd either look away or pretend I didn't hear him. I found myself remembering music, songs that I used to know, and I'd sing when he was gone. Every day, I would smile brightly at Sephiroth, taunting him, which only resulted in me getting hurt even more. Eventually, almost every inch of my body was covered in cuts or bruises. I couldn't walk around like I used to; I would have to find something to support myself with because I was so lightheaded and weak. I also lost the ability to see auras. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see a thing. I was in pain so often that I was able to block it out for long periods of time if I stayed completely still.

I found myself thinking of everyone at the castle; Superior, who was annoying, but all he wanted was to get his heart back. Xigbar, who was odd, but I knew could be a riot. Vexen, who was misunderstood. Lexeaus, who was… silent. Zexion, who seemed like a nice, smart guy. I was sure that he'd be a good match for Daxdy. Saix, who was intimidating, but I was sure there was a nice person deep down… _really_ deep down there. Axel, who was obsessed with himself, but an overall good guy. Demyx, who was simple-minded and innocent. Luxord- I wasn't really sure about him. Marluxia… I missed him the most. I missed seeing his smiling face and knowing he'd always be there for me. Larxene, who hated my guts. I didn't know this Roxas kid… And then there was Daxdy, my best friend who had died because of me. She might have a bad temper and claim that she didn't care, but there was a nice person underneath that persona.

It was a normal day, or what counted as a normal day as a captive. I was wearing a white, long-sleeved silk dress, now completely ruined by blood and slashes in the fabric. Sephiroth had beaten me worse than usual that day, and he didn't slowly torture me like he usually did. He hurt me quickly and left as soon as he thought I had had enough. I thought I was going to die curled up on the floor in a pool of my blood, and that the others would never find me. Not even five minutes after Sephiroth left, I heard talking in the hallway. I could tell multiple people were coming by the sound of their feet on the carpet. I just ignored it and closed my eyes, hoping my end would come soon. I could feel that one last nerve hanging on. If I let go, I was going to die. I knew I had to hold on to it, though. I couldn't just give up.

"…only locked door," one person muttered. Somebody else said something muffled, and the person replied, "Probably. The spell is complicated. Let me see what I can do."

People continued to talk, but I couldn't understand what they were saying beyond the door. They were trying to get into the room, but why? Probably thieves or something, here to steal all of Sephiroth's valuable things. They would either help me, or leave me here to die. The door opened, and I almost started crying when I heard the voices clearly.

Xemnas, Zexion, Larxene, and Marluxia had come to save me! Sephiroth had made sure to splatter blood everywhere, so I was only guessing that they were freaked out by what they saw because you could've heard a pin drop, even though it was carpet. Somebody rushed over and held their hand over my mouth to see if I was still breathing.

"She's still alive." It was Larxene. But I thought she hated me? I fought to open my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy, and I was tired, like I could fall asleep at any moment and not wake up. I finally won, and I could see Larxene wondering what to do while the others stood there in shock, just staring. I tried to speak, but Larxene spoke up.

"No. You're going to tire yourself out and die. Just… wait. Zexion, I know you don't have that much magic left, but I need you to cast Curaga. It'll help her." Zexion stood there for a second before looking through his lexicon and finding and casting a spell. I felt better to a degree, but I knew that I was still in critical condition.

"Marluxia is going to pick you up, okay?" Larxene asked, staring intently into my eyes. She looked like she was scared… but more than she should be. If she really hated me… Marluxia mentioned that Sephiroth had gotten a hold of someone else. Was it possible that it was _her_? Marluxia walked over and lifted me like he did that one day in his room so long ago. I screamed in pain, and he held me close, trying to comfort me. We walked into a cold portal into Vexen's lab where Vexen, Daxdy, Axel, Demyx, a boy with spiked blonde hair and blue eyes, and a familiar-looking girl that had black hair with red and blue highlights and brown eyes were waiting. Demyx ran out with his hand on his mouth the second he saw me.

Marluxia set me down so that I could sit on a lab table and I shivered, causing more agony to race through my body. I bit my lip, trying not to cry out again. The only sound that came out was a small whimper. Vexen quickly rummaged in his cabinet and came back with a vial, holding it out to me. I reached a shaky hand out to take it, but drew back when the pain became unbearable. I started breathing heavily and tried so hard not to cry out.

"Let me see," Marluxia said softly and took the vial. He held it up to my lips, and I drank the liquid inside that burned all the way down my throat, spreading the fire everywhere. I coughed, but sat still. I could see and feel all of my wounds closing up, healing before my eyes. A minute later, I was perfectly fine. Well, what do you know? Stuff that instantly heals you _does_ exist.

"Thanks," I whispered, unsure of what else to say. I didn't want to tell them about what happened while I was gone, but I knew that I needed to, considering I was still covered in fresh blood.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Axel asked, quiet for the first time that I had seen him. Larxene puffed up and burst out of the room. There was no doubt in my mind that Sephiroth had taken her the first time. I sighed.

"N-no. But I know that I have to. He almost beat me to death every day and refused to help me. There was no first-aid kit, so I had to fix myself without it. I refused to speak to him, I refused to eat in front of him, I smiled at him to make him mad… I did a lot of things that made the beatings worse, but I didn't want to show him my weakness. So I endured it without a word, even going far enough to laugh sometimes."

The room was silent, and I silently wished that I could see auras again so that I could get a hint of what was going on. I took this time to study the new girl. She was my age too, and she looked at me like she knew me, but I wasn't sure how that could be. Although if she was hanging out with Daxdy, then she might've heard about what was happening.

"_YOU_ _ARE_ _SUCH_ _AN_ _IDIOT!_" Daxdy screamed, breaking the silence. "Even _I'M_ smart enough to know that if you do something stupid like that, then you're bound to get hurt more! You should've just done what he said! _STUPID_! We were all worried about you, and you throw that away just because you wanted to be tough! You practically just died! RETARD!"

That was one way that Daxdy showed that she cared: by screaming at you. She looked like she was about to start screaming again when the girl touched her shoulder, and she calmed down. Who was that chick? As if reading my thoughts, the girl stepped forward and smiled.

"Hey Alex!" she grinned and ran over, hugging me tightly. It was then that I realized who she must be. She wasn't just some strange stalker! Well, she _could've_ been a stalker, but only when she wanted to be.

"Xelxa, and hello to you too, Sia," I said, and pushed my old friend away a bit. "I don't want to get my blood on you. Sorry."

"That's okay! And its Axis, not Sia anymore," she said smiling. I nodded.

"I don't want to leave but I must change clothes and sleep. I'm exhausted," I said quietly and slid off of the lab table. Now that I was back, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, other than the normal things. I felt empty for the first time; hollow. Like I really didn't have a heart. I walked to the lab door and heard someone behind me. I sighed but said nothing.

"Are you alright?" Marluxia asked, grabbing my hand and spinning me around. I stared up at him blankly and pulled my hand away from his. I couldn't help but think that there was no way we could ever be together- there was nothing that we could feel emotions with. For the first time, I doubted that I even had even been capable of sentiment. There was nothing; just a deep, dull ache that made me want to die, because what was the point of living?

"I'm alive. That should count for something." Just then, I actually thought about dying. What would happen? I really didn't care.

"You're not yourself. Are you sure you don't need to talk to someone?" Marluxia asked, frowning. I turned away from him and continued walking, ignoring the stares of everyone that I passed by. Most of them said hello or said that they were glad that I was back, and I just nodded, not really registering what they said. I soon met Roxas, who was the blonde boy in Vexen's lab when I had come back, and Xaldin, who was a tall Jamaican man with dreadlocks.

I went through the days in a haze. Most of the time, I would find myself just staring off into space thinking about nothing. I wouldn't really eat, and I couldn't sleep at all. Daxdy and Axis kept trying to get me to hang out with them, but I found different excuses to give them every time. Daxdy broke after three days and Marluxia got fed up after about five days of this. Daxdy came into my room and started screaming at me, but I didn't really pay attention to what she was saying until she pushed me into a wall.

"That was unnecessary," I said quietly. It was true. She didn't need to slam me into a wall or anything. It was _my_ room, and she wasn't even _invited_ in it. She had just barged in. so really, she was here without my permission.

"YOU are unnecessary! You're seriously effed up and need help! You don't eat, you don't sleep, you don't even _talk_ anymore! You just sit there and stare off into space like a psycho! Don't you even _care_ about anyone else but yourself? You don't even listen to us anymore. Marluxia is tearing himself up inside because he thinks it's _his_ fault, and his garden is dead! Hear that? His _precious_ garden that you guys love _so_ much is _gone_!"

"I am not capable of loving," I replied boredly, not even caring. Okay, so Marluxia's garden is dead? He'll get over it eventually. I used to think that he liked me, but it would never work without a heart. So I decided to not speak to him anymore. He'd get the hint, and maybe he'd start to go out with Larxene or something. I thought she had liked him…

"YOU DON'T GET IT! There's something wrong with you!" Daxdy screamed, and then stormed out. I just stared at the door and closed it softly, not daring to make a sound. If Daxdy wanted to be like that, well, didn't that mean that there was something was wrong with _her_? Two days later, Marluxia burst in, interrupting me during my thinking time. He started talking, but I didn't even look at him, preferring to think about the many different ways that I could make a crane out of paper. I started to pay attention when I noticed him pacing.

"I don't know what went wrong! I know that it was my fault, and I should've been prepared. I was stupid and I was worried every second that you were gone. I was so happy when we found you, but then I saw how hurt you were. I can't bear to see you like that." He stopped and sat down beside me on the bed, and for the first time that I had gotten back, I really got a good look at him. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like he was close to having a breakdown.

"There's nothing I can do. There are no options left. I feel like you hate me. You haven't said a word to me since you came back, and obviously you blame me. I just- I want to tell you something, but I don't know how to say it. I- I…" Marluxia trailed off, and then he grabbed me by the waist and kissed me so hard that I felt like my head was going to explode. He pulled away and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine. I looked into his eyes, and I realized just how I had been acting these past few days. I had pushed away my friends, ignoring them because I had given up hope that I could ever truly live again. How could I have given up on Marluxia? I realized that I loved him, heart or no heart. I wanted him to love me too. Taking my silence for rejection, Marluxia let go and turned away, his face crestfallen. I ran after him, taking his hand. He looked at me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down so I could kiss him softly.

"Me too," I said, and buried my head in his chest, hugging him tightly. I never wanted to let him go. I cared so much about him, even if I had only really known him maybe two days prior to being kidnapped. I had fallen so hard for him so quickly, and he had done the same. And as we kissed one more time, I couldn't help but think that he meant all the worlds to me.

End of Chapter 10

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><p><strong><em>AWWW!<em>** So they _finally_ admitted that they liked each other! So sweet! I've been waiting for that scene for a _loooong_ time! So, Axis has joined the crew, making it Organization XVI. WHOO! Xelxa can't see auras anymore, which is very strange. I know why! But I'm telling no-one! Still thinking of the cute scene… :3 Hopefully I made this chapter longer, so tell me if I did. I don't really pay attention to the page numbers. Lol I loved the end! *still not over it yet* ~~~ You put your arm around my shoulder, and it was good the room got colder. We moved closer in together. You started talking about the weather. You said tomorrow would be fun; we could watch a place in the sun. I didn't know where this was going when you kissed me. Are you mine? Are you mine? Cause I stay here all the time watching telly, drinking wine. Who'd have known? Who'd have known? When you flash up on my phone I no longer feel alone. No longer feel alone ~~~ Who'd Have Known by Lily Allen (I LOVE HER MUSIC! Too bad I'm not allowed to have most of it)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: It appears that I spoke too soon- I got _really_ sick from my two sisters. I cannot _believe_ my last chapter. The ending… it was so perfect! (_Still_ haven't gotten over it. How sad is _that_?) Okay okay okay, _FOCUS!_ I has a special secret surprise for you guys later! Although I'm sure you readers will hate me by the end of the chapter. This will be a major turning point in our story. I think. Either this or next chapter. You'll just have to wait and see!

Disclaimer: BB, BB, BB, BB, BB, BB, B- Oh, yeah, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. KIRA KILLED BEYOND BIRTHDAY! HE MUST PAY! Did I ever mention that I am in love with a strawberry jam-eating serial killer, a traitor with no heart, an envious (key word right there) homunculus, a money-making glasses-wearing member of a host club, a strict but kind German man that loves dogs and baking sweets, a blonde flirty vampire, and a one-winged impossibly-long katana-wielding man? No? Well, now you do!

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><p>Chapter 11 (ARE YOU <em>KIDDING<em> ME! DOUBLE-DIGITS _ALREADY_?)

For the first time in a long time, I woke up in the morning not feeling dread, fear, sadness, emptiness or anything of the sort. I was the happiest I had been in since I was a Nobody. I smiled and hopped out of the bed, energized and ready for anything. I replayed the night before over and over again in my head. It seemed impossible that Marluxia had kissed me. But I knew that even _my_ imagination couldn't come up with something that felt so real.

In a completely uncharacteristic move, I rummaged through the closet, pulled on a pair of gray skinny-jeans paired with a bright yellow tank-top and matching stiletto heels, and then took the time to brush out my hair, leaving it in waves down my back. I then applied light gray eye-shadow, black mascara, and purple eyeliner, but nothing too dark. Then, without hesitation, I swiped on some light pink lip-gloss and smiled at my reflection, liking the brilliant, cheerful me that I saw. I didn't even start to worry about not having an organization cloak- for just once, I wanted to go around and not have to conceal my face.

Thinking of Marluxia, I walked to the kitchen, knowing that if I was to get there, I would have to pass through the now-crowded dining room. I could just portal there, but today I didn't want to. Plus, I wanted to show everyone that I was okay now. So without a second thought, I stepped through the dining room doors, smiling confidently. The whole room went quiet and everyone stared at me like I was some alien from outer space, which made me giggle and continue to walk to the kitchen. Talk about a dramatic entrance!

When I walked into the kitchen, it also went silent as Daxdy and Axis stopped laughing, Axel's eye's widened, Demyx dropped the open milk carton on the floor, Roxas fell off of the counter that he was sitting on, Zexion almost ripped a page out of his book, and Marluxia just stood there, his hand still on the open refrigerator door, letting out all of the cold air. I started laughing at all of the looks on their faces, and they just continued to stare at me. Finally, after I got in control of my breath, I looked at them happily and asked, "What?"

"Well, other than the fact that you went from being all psycho to super-girly girl, and how you're suddenly happy and smiling a lot is two things," Daxdy said after a couple of seconds, looking me up and down multiple times in disbelief. I grinned and walked over to the pantry, stepping over the fast growing puddle of milk to get to the wonderful package of blueberry pop-tarts waiting for me. I sauntered over to the island and hopped up on it, crossing my legs and tearing open the package of food, which was deafening in the growing silence of the room.

"It's not _that_ drastic of a change, guys. Just roll with it, 'kay? Would you rather me go back to what I was _before_?" I snuck a look over at Marluxia before adding, "Although, I don't think that's possible by now."

My statement seemed to snap everyone back into reality, and Demyx started to clean up the spilled milk, Zexion stuck a bookmark in his book, Roxas got up off of the floor, Marluxia grabbed fruit from the fridge, and Axel turned to Daxdy and Axis to tell them a corny joke. I smirked and started to methodically eat my pop-tart the way I always did- I picked the crust off of all of the sides and ate it before devouring the flavored inside.

"Why does a seagull fly over the sea?" Axel asked. Daxdy, Axis, and I all shrugged, and Axel grinned. "Because if it flew over the bay it would be called a bagel!"

Everyone cracked up laughing at the stupid joke, and Marluxia came and leaned against the counter next to me. As Axel was telling yet _another_ corny joke (I swear he must have _billions_ of them), Marluxia leaned in and whispered to me, "Is this something temporary, or are you going to stay like this from now on?"

I looked up at him smiling and whispered back, "Well, I decided that maybe it's time I changed for the better." I then slowly took his hand that was resting on the counter next to my hip and intertwined our fingers, squeezing his hand softly, never looking away from Axel, who was acting out one of Demyx's less… intelligent moments. Marluxia squeezed my hand back and I was so happy at that moment, that I couldn't imagine it ending. Until Saix decided to burst into the kitchen.

I immediately let go of Marluxia's hand, and he jumped away guiltily as Saix barked, "Missions!" before slamming the door and stalking away. Everyone sighed but me, but that was mainly because I wasn't sure what was going on. What did Saix mean by 'missions'? Did we have to go undercover? Was it some kind of _Mission: Impossible_ thing, or…? If I had to dress up in some kind of disguise, I was quitting. There is _no_ _way_ I'm going to do that and look like a total fool in front of complete strangers.

I followed everyone out into the Gray Room, which was pretty much the common room. It had a flat screen TV, couches, armchairs, an X-box, a Wii, a Playstation 2 and 3, a PSP, a game cube, and a huge shelve of DVD's and games for all of the game systems. There wasn't really a way that you could get bored here.

The Superior and Saix, who was holding a clipboard, were standing in the front of the room, and everybody else was lined up with bored faces, some crossing their fingers, looking around, or, in Larxene's case, picking at her nails with one of her kunai and glaring daggers at everyone else.

"You know the drill! No complaining about your mission or who you're paired with!" Saix commanded in his scary Keebler elf way. "Zexion and Lexeaus, you will be going to Monstro and talking to the man there about Heartless activity. Xaldin and Demyx, you will be going to Hollow Bastion. You know what to do. And finally, Larxene and Xelxa, you will be doing reconnaissance in Halloween Town. I want you two to kill _every_ _single_ Heartless on that planet. We need to make sure that the scientist isn't experimenting with them again, and I _will_ find out if you two leave even _one_ Heartless alive. Go."

I bit my bottom lip as everyone who didn't have to do anything sighed when Saix and Xemnas portalled away. I knew that Larxene didn't like me, but this was just absurd! Then again, Demyx was paired with the lance-wielding sadistic chef who loved to chop things to bits. Maybe I _had_ gotten the better deal here. One look at Larxene squelched those thoughts from my mind as she sneered at me. Axel put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a look that said he was going to start to pick out what I wanted my coffin to look like. I shrugged his hand away as I started to get the chills from it being there.

"Okay," Larxene said as she looked me up and down, "Rule 1: no questions. Rule 2: if you have any questions, refer to rule number 1. Rule 3: you will not talk. I don't want to hear you, because if I do, that means you'll most likely die because you're so annoying that I would be driven to insanity and be forced to kill you so I don't commit suicide. Rule 4: stay behind me. I will pulverize anything in my path, and if you happen to be in my way, well, that's your problem, not mine. Any questions?"

I stood there and just stared at her. She had to be kidding me. Apparently not, because she said, "Good. You actually have a brain." She just insulted me three times in less than 45 seconds. This was going to be a _long_ day. I was about to get ready to leave when, for the first time in four days, I realized that I had never gotten my bracelet back. I had dropped it right before Sephiroth kicked me in the head.

"My bracelet. What happened to it?" I asked Axel and Marluxia, since they were the only ones that were there when that had happened. I didn't have any regrets, if I really thought about it. I mean, I probably could've handled the whole situation better, but other than that I wasn't really upset about anything that I had done. Plus, now was the time to make up for it, so the only thing to do was move forward.

"Um, it's in my room," Marluxia said quietly, blushing slightly. I smiled and made a portal there, taking his hand and walking through, closing the portal behind me so no one could follow in behind us. I wanted a private moment with him before I had to leave. That and I hadn't seen him since last night. After we had kissed, Marluxia had stayed in my room and sat with me, just talking about nothing. I enjoyed spending time with him, but now I wasn't sure where to go next. Were we together now, or…?

I let go of Marly's hand and sat down on the bed, watching him go to his nightstand and fetch my silver bracelet from the drawer. He walked over to the bed and kneeled in front of me as if he was going to propose, smiling conspiratorially as he took my hand and slipped the bracelet on it. He then stood and held out his hand for me, and instead of taking it and standing up like he wanted me to, I grabbed it and pulled him down on the bed next to me.

"Hey!" he cried out, obviously startled. I laughed and hugged him tightly around the waist, scooting closer to him. In a way, I was asking for forgiveness. I just wanted one moment alone with him before heading out to a new and unknown world. Marluxia hugged me back and pulled me into his lap, holding me close and sighing contentedly. I pulled away slightly and pecked him on the cheek before hopping off of him and pulling him through a portal by his cloak sleeve.

"Took you long enough," the blonde menace sneered as she scowled at me. I wondered what made her hate me so much. I had never really done anything to her, so I didn't know what her problem was, but I decided to just ignore it for now.

"Well _I'm sorry_, Larxene, but it seems that I had misplaced Xelxa's bracelet and had to search for it." For some reason, I loved that Marluxia had used sarcasm with Larxene and said sorry, even though everyone could tell he didn't mean it. From the way she looked at him after he said that, it was clear that she wasn't going to hurt him like she usually would do to anyone else. Instead, she just looked at me like I was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen.

"Well," Axis said, clapping my back, "good luck." I could hear the implied _you're gonna need it_ tacked on at the end. Axel smiled at me, Zexion nodded at me, Daxdy was staring off into space, and Marluxia gave me a hug that lasted longer than a normal hug that your friends gave you, but short enough that nobody would really notice that it was longer than it really needed to be. Without another word, Larxene turned around into a portal and walked through so fast that I half-ran through, afraid that she was going to leave without me.

I have to say that Halloween Town is probably the _awesomest_ place I have _ever_ seen. In a way, it was very familiar. I could've sworn I had been there before, but I knew for a fact that I had never been here as a Nobody. I knew where everything was- town hall, the scientist's lab, the cemetery. I couldn't figure it out. There was no way that I could've known where everything was without having been there before.

At the entrance to the world, it had a plaque with the world's history on it. Apparently, at one time, the only people that lived there were ghosts, witches, and other fictional characters that you would think would never exist. Then, 20 years ago, they started building houses, and normal humans moved there. Soon, schools were built, and now there was a secluded place for the suburbs where normal people could live and go to school. It also included places where Heartless activity was highest and advised people not to go there because recently, a resident of Halloween Town was killed in Twilight Town by Heartless. I was about to read the name when Larxene started walking quickly toward the cemetery.

The whole time Larxene and I were there, I stayed behind her. We always hid whenever we saw anyone for precautionary reasons, but I had no idea what the reasons were. We weren't attacked by Heartless until we got to the cemetery, and even then, they were pretty easy to knock out with a scythe. We were just killing the last of the shadowy enemies when a man and woman entered the cemetery gates. I turned to look at them and froze.

I was standing like that when Larxene pulled me roughly behind a large mausoleum. But the damage was done. I knew who those people were. The man was tall with a long goatee and hair that was salt and peppered. The woman was just a bit shorter than the man with curly light orange hair that you could tell was natural. They were my parents. Or at least, the man was. The woman was my stepmom.

Larxene was glaring at me like I was insane, but I ignored her, paying rapt attention to the two adults. I just couldn't believe it. This _whole time_, I had never even _thought_ about my family, or the fact that I even _had_ any family. And now that I realized that, I wanted to speak to them, let them know that I wasn't dead. I was still alive and well.

The couple walked over to a freshly dug grave, and I knew that the coffin that was buried six feet underground was empty. They had never found my body, because _I was not dead_. I was about to jump up and say something when Larxene grabbed my bare upper arm and dug her nails into my skin, causing me to look at her. She then quickly pulled me through a portal and into the Gray Room, where Axel, Zexion, Daxdy, and Axis had never left.

"_ARE YOU __**IDIOTIC**__?_" Larxene screeched and pushed me into the wall. "_YOU ALMOST BLEW OUR COVER! DO YOU __**WANT**__ TO BE EXPOSED TO THOSE MORONIC HUMANS?_"

Everybody in the room looked up, startled by our presence because they hadn't seen us come in. By now I was close to tears, and I swiped at my eyes angrily, knowing that if I cried, it would show how pathetic I was. But I also knew that I wasn't just going to go unheard.

"_You don't understand_! Those were my _parents_! Do you want them to go on thinking that I'm _dead_ and never get over it when really I'm breathing and definitely _not_ buried under six feet of _dirt_?"

Larxene summoned a knife and swung at me with it, but I caught her wrist and stared into her eyes, glaring. By now, Larxene had attracted the attention of Demyx and Roxas, who were in the dining room until they came to see what was going on. I pushed Larxene away and she stumbled back, dropping her kunai on the carpet. Zexion and Axel jumped up and ran in between us, trying to keep us apart so we wouldn't try to kill each other.

"What's going on?" Zexion asked calmly, staring into my eyes.

"We were in Halloween Town, and we were about to leave when I saw my dad and stepmom. I wanted to say something, let them know that I was okay, when Larxene portalled here and started yelling at me," I replied in a shaky voice, trying to stop tears from falling down my cheeks.

"YES, BECAUSE-"

"Shut up, Larxene," Axel said, glaring at her. Everybody except for Zexion was looking in between me and Larxene, except for Zexion, who was just looking at me.

"Look," Zexion said, "what do you think would happen if someone you loved died and somebody who looked different appeared a couple of weeks later, claiming that they were the person who died. Would you believe them?"

I shook my head.

"Exactly," Zexion continued. "They wouldn't believe you. And if they did, do you know what would happen to us- the organization? We'd be used as test subjects. Experiments. Including you. Do you want that? For any of us?"

I shook my head, my eyes still full of tears. I had never thought of that, and I realized that no matter how much I wanted to talk to them, I had to stay away for my own good. For the sake of me and everyone else. I could feel myself starting to cry, and I pushed past Zexion and ran out of the room. I could hear Larxene and Axel yelling at each other, but I kept going. I knew that it wasn't possible, but for a moment, I had believed that I could go back home. I wouldn't be so alone.

I collided with a warm body and fell flat on the floor. The person stumbled back a bit but stopped and looked down at me. I just stood up and kept running, but the person grabbed my shoulder in a vice of steel, forcing me to stop and spinning me around to face them. I quickly wiped at my eyes and looked up to face Saix. He looked utterly confused, but his face turned to shock and anger in a matter of seconds.

"What is going on here, XV?" he demanded. I started to get the chills up and down my spine, and I knew that if this continued it would start to tingle and push me to the edge, so I gripped Saix's hand and pushed it away.

"None of your business, _VII_. Now if you _excuse me_, I have things I need to be doing," I said curtly and turned around, portalling away before he could stop me again. Because, to be honest, _anywhere_ was better than _here_.

End of Chapter 11

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><p>Are you proud of me? I <em>FINALLY<em> updated! I've been getting better, so yay! *sighs* I love Marluxia :D He is my very first anime crush, so it's only fair that he'd be my favorite guy. It's a tie between him, Aidou from Vampire Knight, Germany from Axis Powers Hetalia, and Beyond Birthday from Death Note. WHOO! So many handsome men! All of them are too old for me, but _**WHO CARES**_? Not me :) ~~~ I think I'm gonna bomb a town! (Get down!) Don't you nevah, evah, pull my lever 'cause I _**EXPLODE!**_ And my nine is easy to load. I gotta thank God, 'cause he gave me the strength to rock HARD! Knock you out, mama said knock you out! ~~~ Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J (I cannot _**BELIEVE**_ that I like his music!)


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Guess who's back? Back again? Marlu's back! Tell a friend! Lol I'm SO sorry to all of my dedicated readers who've probably forgotten about this story by now because it's been so long since I updated. And I just wanna say- this is for all those fan-girls who screamed in happiness just like I did when they first saw Marluxia in Kingdom Hearts re: Chain of Memories. I'm just gonna update now ;D

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Xelxa… Marluxia- because REAL men have pink hair. ;D

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

I didn't even know where I was going. I knew that I was going to have to explain this to someone later, but for now, I was going to wing it. Improvise. So when I saw that I was in Traverse Town, in the very spot where I was attacked by Sephiroth, I could only guess why I was there.

"Hey! You!" a voice behind me called, and I turned to see a pale guy with blue-ish silver shoulder-length hair and aquamarine eyes. He looked angry, and since I had already had enough anger for today, I ran. There was a place where the road split off, and without even stopping, I chose left.

I realized that I was screwed when I saw that the road went into a dead end. I whirled around to face the guy, and saw that he had out some kind of sword. I was blue-ish purple and reminded me of a bat's wing. I could feel the electricity in it, the buzzing power it had. I held up my hands in surrender when he demanded, "Who are you?"

But then stupid me remembered that, _hello_, I have a weapon too! Just to startle the guy, I summoned a weapon exactly like his and got into a defensive stance. Turns out I did something right. The guy's eyes widened and then he swung at me. I stopped his attack and held it, slowly being forced back by the pressure he was applying.

"What do you want?" I gasped, and then drew back, stumbling against the wall behind me. The guy swung again and this time I ducked. The blade sliced my arm, and it felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. I screamed in agony and crumpled to the ground. It was on fire. I couldn't stand it. Everything was red and pain and screaming. I felt it in my chest the worst, where my heart was supposed to be. It held all of the fire, the pain, everything. I let out the most blood-curdling scream I could before I blacked out.

I couldn't move. I could feel my arms and legs but they wouldn't do what I wanted them to. I opened my eyes and found myself tied to a chair, the boy from before sitting on the bed in front of me. It looked like we were in a hotel room, but I couldn't be sure. I fought against my binds, but they were tight and would most likely leave marks later.

"Who are you?" the guy demanded for the second time today. I studied him curiously. He was tall, dressed in a vest and baggy pants. He was really handsome, I had to admit, but there was something in his eyes that deterred me. They were cold and scrutinizing; empty but filled with hate. It was a little disturbing, but I understood: he had a mission, and he would not rest until he completed it.

"Well it depends. Who are _you_?" I replied, feeling smart. To be honest, this guy kinda scared me. Although I was more afraid of his _sword_ than him.

"None of your business. Who do you work for? Xemnas? Although I'm surprised. I've never seen _you_ before. So how'd you get in?"

"None of your business." This guy obviously thought that he could order me around. That he had some kind of power over me. He was right about Xemnas, but he seemed a little too young to actually associate with him. I say that, but he looked to be my age, maybe a little older. The guy summoned his sword again and I flinched.

"This is a Keyblade. It's used to battle the darkness and defeat the heartless. You had a terrible reaction, which must mean that you're heartless. A Nobody." I glared at the guy. Was he threatening me? It seemed like it, the way that he was fingering the Keyblade and looking at me.

"Okay?" The guy smirked and stood, looking down at me. Crap crap crap!

"Tell me who you are and what you know. I'll let you go with no penalty." I thought about it for a second. What was there to lose? I'd just tell him as little as possible. Plus, he'd leave me alone, so…

"Yeah, I work for the Organization. You asked how I got in. I have no idea. I died and showed up there." The bluenette frowned. Probably about how easily I had given in. Like he had expected me to scream about how he would pay for this and about how I was going to destroy him.

"You're new. I know for a fact that we killed the Organization, but you were never there. Who _are_ you?"

I just smiled. He was never going to find out. That was one secret I was willing to keep. His sword dissolved and he sat back down on the bed, frustrated. He was about to say something when the door burst open and another boy walked in. His brown hair was gravity-defying-ly spiky and cerulean blue eyes. He was dressed similarly to the other except that he had on a regular t-shirt and huge shoes. He looked kinda like a clown without make-up.

"Is this it, Riku?" he asked, his voice friendlier and eyes happier than Riku's. I rolled my eyes. I'm a person, not an 'it'.

"Yeah. I answered your questions. Can I leave now?" The bluenette Riku ignored me, but the brunette glanced over at me.

"Whoa, I've never seen you before!" He turned to Riku, concerned. "Are you sure she's part of Organization XIII?"

Riku sighed exasperatedly. "I _told_ you, her portal was exactly like theirs. And while you were gone getting _pocky_, she admitted to me that she worked for them. But that doesn't make sense because we already killed them a couple years ago."

Killed them? As in, killed the Organization? But… they were alive _now_. How could they have been brought back to life? I frowned at the two, and at they simultaneously turned to stare at me with these odd expressions on their faces. Oh, no…

"Well? How're they alive?" Riku questioned, and I just shrugged. How was I supposed to know?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said truthfully, but the looks on the two's faces told me that they didn't believe me. "What? I just got there less than a month ago. How am I supposed to know what happened a couple of _years_ ago?"

The guys went pale, and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"How many of you are there?" the brunette asked cautiously, and I kept my mouth shut. This wasn't any of their business. They were obviously enemies of the Organization, so there was no way that I was going to tell them anything.

Riku glared and ushered the brunette outside, most likely to have a tête-à-tête without their captive listening. I wriggled my arms around as much as I could, trying to get loose when then realized that I was wearing my bracelet. I smiled deviously. Those two were stupid if they had ever thought that a bracelet wasn't menacing. I made a small knife and cut the binds loose.

I released my arms and then cut the ropes from my ankles before portalling back to the castle doors. I bit my bottom lip and debated on what to do. I knew that I needed to tell Superior, but in this huge castle, I didn't know where to look. I decided to go look in Marluxia's maze/garden. Chances are, he was in there and he could help me find Superior.

I portalled to the middle of the maze, ending up standing under a huge new oak tree that wasn't there when I had first arrived. Looking up into the branches, I could've sworn that I saw something moving inside of it, so I started to climb up to it, not letting where I thought the movement was coming from out of my sight.

So you can imagine my surprise when I felt a hand on my lower back guiding me up onto the closest branch. I jumped back and whirled around, summoning a knife without even thinking. Marluxia was grinning, his arms up and palms facing toward me in a sign of surrender. I frowned even though I was relieved and playfully slapped my pink-haired friend on the arm.

"Don't do that!" I shrieked happily and he laughed, pulling me into a hug and making me drop my knife. My voice was muffled as I yelled, "Don't, Marly!"

He just chuckled and started to tickle me, continuing to do so even when I gasped and shrieked and fell down onto the ground out of breath. I tried to grasp his hands to make him stop, but he pulled my arms over my head and pinned me to the ground with one hand, the other still dancing across my stomach. I squirmed, trying to get him off of me even though I enjoyed it.

"M-Marluxia, s-STOP!" I screamed, gasping for breath from laughing so hard. He stopped immediately, his blue eyes glittering with humor as he grinned at me.

"Can't take it?" he asked teasingly, his hair framing beautiful face as he leaned over me. I laid there breathing heavily, looking up at him with a smile meant only for us. Before I fully caught my breath, Marluxia leaned down and kissed me, further taking it away. When he pulled away I gasped for air, knowing that I was blushing like crazy. It was okay though, because Marluxia's face was a little pink too, and not because of his hair.

"Umm…" Both of us looked over and blushed even more when we found Daxdy, Zexion, Axis, and Axel all standing at an entrance to the middle of the maze staring at us. Marluxia quickly got off of me and stood up, offering his hand for me to take. I pulled myself up and smiled at our friends awkwardly.

"Heyy…" I said, trying to break the silence. Although I don't know which was worse- the awkward silence or the fact that the four looked like they were deeply disturbed. I wanted to hold Marluxia's hand, but after what was just witnessed, I restrained myself. I didn't want anybody to say anything about it later.

"Oh. My. God. And I don't even believe in him," Daxdy said, looking at Marluxia then me and then back. I kinda smiled. It would be like her to say something like that at a time like this.

"What. The. Flip," Axel said, staring at Marluxia like he had just noticed that he had pink hair. "I thought you were gay…"

Zexion had about the same reaction as Axel, staring at Marluxia like he was from outer space. Axis all of a sudden burst out laughing. "He's not gay! The apocalypse is coming! Oh my god, WTF man!"

Marluxia frowned a bit, and I finally gave into the temptation to hold his hand. Daxdy and Axel both broke out into nervous laughter as well, and we all just kind of stood there. Then it got really quiet again and Zexion spoke up.

"We thought he was hurting you. We kept hearing screaming and stuff and then it got really quiet…" I realized just how ominous that sounded. They probably thought I was being murdered or something. I self-consciously smiled, embarassed and a little humiliated. I couldn't believe that this had just happened.

"Well, no, I'm not hurt or anything." I don't think Zexion heard me though. Him and Axel were both looking at Marluxia pointedly, like he should've known better. But there was something else in that stare as well. Something that said they didn't trust him. It was silent, and the curiosity was killing me. So I decided to ask.

"Is this about a couple years ago?" The three guys turned and stared at me with these horrified looks on their faces. I let go of Marluxia's hand and backed up a bit. "What?"

"How do you know about that?"Marluxia demanded. I told them my story.

"I was _going_ to ask you to help me find Superior, but uh… I got kinda distracted," I finished lamely. Daxdy and Axis looked so confused, I wondered if their heads were going to explode. I felt the same way. What were they hiding?

"We need to talk to Superior. _Now_," Marluxia commanded and then him, Axel, and Zexion all portalled away, leaving us three girls standing there.

"What do you think this means?" Daxdy asked, and I shrugged my shoulders. Even if I was there, it still made no sense to me.

"Are they supposed to be dead?" I asked, and Axis snorted.

"We're _all_ supposed to be dead. But we're not." I rolled my eyes and started again.

"I meant, were they Nobodies when they died before? It kinda seemed like it, the way that Riku talked about it." The other two stood there just as baffled as I was, so we decided to drop it. Although I kind of wished we had stayed on the subject once I heard what they had to say.

"So you and Marluxia, huh? I never knew you liked pansies," Axis commented, and I almost buried my face in my hands. Not now… Daxdy was quick to jump into the conversation.

"We thought something was wrong. We were just walking around when we heard you scream for him to 'stop', so we portalled here and…" She coughed awkwardly while Axis wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. This time, I _did_ bury my face into my hands.

"Shut up," I mumbled, mortified. I knew what was coming next. I could just hear it about to come out of her mouth. Sure enough…

"I can't wait to tell _everyone_ about it," Axis proclaimed, and I glared at her through my fingers. She smiled wickedly and she and Daxdy both waved before portalling away. I sat down under the tree blushing, wishing that I could bury myself alive in the flowerbeds.

End of Chapter 12

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><p>AN: Are you guys proud of me? I updated! Lol I'm _SOO_ sorry I haven't done it lately, I've just been really busy and preoccupied with everything else that's been going on. Sorry! Please don't murder me! But I hoped you enjoyed it, so review please and tell me how I did after almost 5 months… ~~~Turn out the lights. Feed the fire till my soul breathes free. My heart is high as the waves above me. Don't need to understand- too lost to lose. Don't fight my tears, 'cause they feel so good. And I, I will remember how to fly. Unlock the heavens in my mind. Follow my love back through the same secret door. Look past the end- it's a dream, as it's always been. All life lives on if we've ever loved it~~~ Secret Door by Evanescence


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey guys! I'm coming back slowly but surely! Hopefully this chapter is up to your standards. ;D

Disclaimer: LEAVE… MARLUXIA… ALONE! I own nothing :D

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><p>OHMAHGOSHNESS SPECIAL CHAPTER 13! EXTRA ACTION THIS CHAPTER FOR ALL OF YOU WHO LOVE OUR 13 NOBODIES!<p>

The days and weeks went by, and everything seemed to be fine. I had started unofficial training, and had been sent on a few more missions. I started to get to know my old friends better, and made a few new friends as well. But… Daxdy started to act weird. Everyone started seeing less and less of her, but when we asked Saix, _he_ didn't even know. So one day I decided to follow her.

I had to practically _beg_ Zexion to cover for me. Ever since I had come back from the Sephiroth disaster, nobody let me go _anywhere_ on my own. When I had time, I went to Zexion, telling him about how I was going to get a "special present" for Marluxia and how I wanted to keep it a secret. Finally, I was able to bribe him with 50 munny to let me go off and lie to anyone who asked.

Eventually I was able to figure out that Daxdy was going to Traverse Town. It took awhile because I was using the process of elimination, but finally I had done it. After crafting my lie to Zexion, I left a little earlier than Daxdy, going over to an accessory shop to buy this "present". I got a plain leather bracelet, paying extra munny to get it engraved with a rose. It was a little cheesy, but I thought Marluxia would like it.

I then began to sneak around the three Traverse Town districts, looking for Daxdy. I was about to give up when I thought I saw her slip into a vacant-looking house in the third district. Everywhere near the lot was exposed, but when I glanced skyward in exasperation I could see what looked like a balcony overlooking the house. Unless someone looked directly up, no one would know I was there. I portalled up to it, settling in for a long wait.

After what seemed like _forever_, Daxdy came out of the vacant-looking home. But she wasn't alone. My breath caught as that brunette boy and Riku stepped out behind her, their gazes grim and wary.

No. Daxdy _couldn't_ have been with them. They killed the Organization! Didn't they? She knew that. But she was playing with fire (no pun intended) and acting comfortable, as if there was nothing to fear. Was she _TRYING_to get killed? Then she suddenly stopped, stiffening slightly.

"So we'll meet again tomorrow?" the brown-haired boy asked, sounding hopeful. It was almost as if he didn't even notice she had had a strange reaction.

"Sure thing! I just have to cover my tracks and make sure no one suspects anything. They've been acting suspicious lately," Daxdy replied, casually pushing blue hair out of her face.

Wait... what? She was working with them? Daxdy... betrayed us? She betrayed the Organization? My mind was trying to grasp this idea, make it fit, but it was like trying to put a square block in a space where the circle was supposed to go. If what Marluxia said was correct about traitors... I forcibly made myself stop thinking about all of the different scenarios and pay attention to what was going on. Maybe I could find out something else important.

"Alright. Just be careful. You can't trust any of them," Riku warned. With a parting wave, him and the other guy disappeared to the second district. Daxdy sighed and turned away, heading down the ramp towards the first district. I waited until her footsteps faded away before I hopped off the ledge and rounded the corner to see where she would go next. So of course it came as a huge surprise when she tackled me to the ground.

"_What_where you doing following me?" Daxdy growled angrily while holding me to the ground. It was then that I realized what the truth meant. If she knew that I had discovered her betrayal, she would kill me.

I had to get out of this.

"I- I thought you were acting weird, so I came looking for you. I wanted to see if you were okay."

Her gray eyes studied me distrustfully, her face disapproving. I tried to look up at her with the most confidence I could conjure up, aiming for sincere. Maybe she'd believe-

"That's a lie, and we both know it. Did you really think I'd fall for that?"

"I'm not lying! I just thought, y'know, maybe..." I trailed off when Daxdy's eyes turned the color of fresh blood. The fear rose up in me, and I think she knew it was there, too.

"You've always been a terrible liar. There's a reason I kept it secret. You should've just minded your own business. I really hate to do this, but-"

She summoned her katana, but before she could do anything I scrambled out from under her, throwing her off. I stood up, trying to shake away the dizziness from the rush of blood to my head. I stumbled down the ramp, Daxdy right on my heels. Knowing it would take too long to open the district doors, I ran towards the fountain, trying to distance myself from her. I turned around, my mind whirling as I faced my best friend. She was standing in the middle of the room, and with her sword in hand and that determined look on her face she looked every bit like the warrior she was.

"I have to do this. No one can know. And you can keep secrets, but-"

"Yeah, yeah. 'You can't trust any of them.' But you know what's funny?"

She cocked her head to the side, confused at what could possibly be funny about our situation.

"I was responsible for your death before. I guess it's time to settle the score." I winked, realizing my words. "Oh! I rhyme all the time cause I'm a poet and didn't know it."

Daxdy's brow furrowed, still focused on the first part of what I said. "What do you mean? I died saving my brothers."

I looked at her blankly. _THAT_was surprising. I thought she knew...

"You were supposed to come to my house that day. I called and canceled at the last minute. You went hunting instead. And you died."

"Thats not your fault! You were busy or... something." The only indication of how she was feeling was the slight widening of her eyes. And for some reason, in that split second when I looked at her, a torrent of memories and ghosts of feelings came back to me. Who I was, who WE were. It was an emotional overload, and my head started to throb painfully. Without pausing to think, words came pouring out of my mouth. Maybe if I got everything out, it would stop hurting.

"Who cares? It's still my fault. If I hadn't canceled, you, I, and Axis would still be... us. We'd have our hearts. The three of us would still hang out at that anime store after school like we used to. Our only worries would be the mean kids at school or those slimy guys that would hit on us. I'd still be with my dad and stepmom. Axis would be with her mom, dad, brother, and sister... You'd be with your brothers..."

"Still! It's not-!" I interrupted her protests, trying to get everything out before it was too late.

"You miss them, don't you? Your brothers? It tore them apart... I remember the look on Al's face when he approached me after the funeral. He told me not to take it so hard and that he wished me the best. Jackie and Louie..."

Looking back to that time was like opening a scab- it created a fresh wound all over again. I shook my head frantically, trying not to cry. Not here. This was not the time to break down. I willed the lump in my throat down, my eyes to stop burning. Reliving the pain, even though the person that died was standing in front of me.

And then Daxdy started laughing.

"I am so _SMART_!"

I glanced up at her quizzically, quickly rubbing away the tears that escaped and wondering what in the worlds she thought was funny with what I just said. She gripped her katana tighter, sending me a look that induced everything _but_warm, fuzzy feelings.

"You were trying to distract me, _weren't you_?"

I stepped backwards, only to find that I couldn't because of the wall behind me. Hot panic blossomed inside my stomach, making my hands shake as I realized what she was talking about.

"N- no! I mean, I-"

"Xelxa. You're my best friend. But I have to do this. For me. For you. And for everybody else. But I can't help you if you keep using the darkness!"

"I don't use the darkness! I don't even know how! And what are you talking about? What are you planning?"

Daxdy sighed heavily, her irritation growing by the second.

"As long as you're alive, the darkness rests within you. To awaken Radiant Garden, I have to get rid of the dark!"

Radiant Garden... Why did that sound familiar? But I couldn't fit the puzzle pieces together, and I didn't have the time to because Daxdy was running towards me, katana pointed at my chest. I yelped and summoned the first thing that came to mind- Marluxia's scythe. I held it out in front of me, making Daxdy stop inches away from it and eye me warily. We started to circle, and I couldn't help but think about how she had the advantage. Not only did she have more training than me, she had more strength and stamina. The only thing I had going for me was my pain resistance- and even then, bruises and cuts still hurt. Just not as bad as they felt to other people.

"Please," I pleaded. "Don't do this. There's another way. There has to be-"

"And what way is that?"

I opened and closed my mouth frantically searching my mind for what I knew wasn't there. Instead, I tried to concentrate on Daxdy. Follow her movements. Get attuned to how she fought.

"Exactly. There isn't one. Unless you want to join us?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes wide. WHAT did she just say? Join her as in... betray the Organization?

"I- I can't! Do you know what they'd do to you if they found out? They'd kill you, if not do something worse!"

Daxdy smirked a little, shifting to the left. Her back was now to the wall. Maybe...

"They won't catch me," she said confidently. "They won't even suspect me. I'll disappear soon, and they won't think anything of it."

I wondered why she was telling me this, and then I realized it didn't matter whether I knew it or not. I was dying today. But that didn't mean that I had to accept it.

I lunged at Daxdy, catching her a little off-guard. She jumped sideways and swung her sword at me. Before it could connect with my side, I spun around so I was facing her and held the staff of the scythe sideways with both hands shoulder-width apart, stopping Daxdy's diagonal slash. She pressed in on me, and I could feel my knees starting to buckle from the weight. Gritting my teeth, I pushed back with all I had.

With a burst of inspiration I started to kneel down, still holding my own. Daxdy pressed forward, shifting most of her weight forward onto her sword. I tried to hide my grin as I slackened my grip a little on the scythe. Daxdy grimaced as she continued to push, her sword now inches from my face. It was then that I let go and dove to the side, trying not to get impaled by any sharp objects. Daxdy lurched forward, throwing out an arm to catch herself on the wall before she stabbed herself in the stomach with her own sword.

I held my hand out and the scythe appeared in it once again. Biting my lip, I swung fast and hard, closing my eyes and hoping that I wouldn't cause too much damage. And then my scythe stopped. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Daxdy had stepped forward and was now holding the staff right below where the blade started.

"I really wish I didn't have to do this."

That's when all heck broke loose. Daxdy shoved my scythe away from herself and ran almost inhumanly fast at me, swinging her sword like a maniac. I had just enough time to bring the scythe up to parry that attack before she was pivoting and coming at me again.

Again and again she battered me with her katana, forcing me backwards towards the middle of the room with her scary strength. I had no idea what was going on, and the only thing whirling through my mind was the desperate need to live. Every fiber of my being felt panicked and every swing that I blocked jarred me so hard I could feel it in my bones. And then Daxdy stopped. I looked at her confusedly as she yanked her sword back swiftly, throwing it to the side. I frowned, wondering why she was giving up.

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><p>Zexion's POV<p>

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><p>Zexion was sitting in his seat at the table, wondering what was holding up Daxdy and Xelxa. How long did it take to buy a present? Not to mention Marluxia was sending the evil eye at him for letting Xelxa go out on her own. But what could go wrong? Then again...<p>

It WAS partly Marluxia's fault that the girl was so ignorant. He hadn't taught her very well about _anything_. They didn't train regularly; they didn't practice magic like they were supposed to. Not to mention Sephiroth had ruined her chances of getting a good start. Zexion sighed and shoveled another forkful of Xaldin's Chinese food in his mouth. Chewing slowly, he realized something smelled... different. It wasn't the food, he knew that. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like something was _missing_.

And then it hit him.

He would've gasped if it hadn't been for the food now lodged in his esophagus. He tried to inhale but couldn't, the now-deadly Kung pow chicken blocking his airways. Zexion slid out of his seat, coughing and clutching his throat while trying to get the food to go anywhere but his lungs.

Thankfully the chicken slid down to his stomach, and he greedily breathed in a gulp of clean air, getting rid of the white spots that had started to dance before his eyes.

But there was no time to waste. Standing up quickly, still breathing heavily from almost suffocating, Zexion stumbled and clutched the table edge with all eyes of the dining hall on him.

"Superior," he panted. "Don't- don't let anyone leave!"

He made a portal and ran through quickly, hoping he wasn't too late.

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><p>Xelxa's POV<p>

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><p>A clang brought me out of my stupor and I looked to the ground to see my scythe just laying there. Weird... I don't remember dropping it. A dark thing in my view prompted me to gaze down. Shadows were pouring out of my stomach and dissolving quickly. In fact, every part of me was growing lighter by the second, my very essence detaching and turning into shadows before disappearing in the air above me.<p>

Was I... fading? It wasn't very painful. I mostly just felt numb. I raised my hand to catch one of the little shadows and it twirled around my finger before swirling away like smoke.

I was dying. I could feel it. I suddenly dropped to my knees, my legs too weak to hold me up anymore. Daxdy was standing over me, a cold indifferent look gracing her features as she turned and walked away. I reached out my arm to her, wanted to tell her something- anything to make her look back. But only one thought really crossed my mind.

"I guess we're even now."

Knowing she wouldn't look back, I lifted my head to stare at the stars. The little lights started to wink out until there was nothing at all.

End of Chapter 13

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><p>AN: OH NO! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW THAT I'M DEAD? The story WILL go on, I promise! It will be awhile before my next chapter, but to tide you over, Daxdy's Point Of View is available... she's just not this far ahead. So when you read her story you have no idea that this happens. ANYWAY Daxdy's story is The Fourteenth Nobody by Andrew the Pichu that has Fire. Look it up! Bye guys!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey there! Sorry that I've been gone for so long... I've been lazy. This is a filler sort of chapter so I haven't really taken it seriously and written it yet... UNTIL _NOW_! (DUN DUN DUUUUN!) Silly thing is, I've written the chapter AFTER this one... so I should be able to update _REEEEAAALLY _soon! ^v^ Sorry if it's short, and I'm REALLY sorry about the wait, so without further ado... MARSHMALLOWS!

Disclaimer: Do I seriously have to put this here? I don't own Kingdom Hearts. All I own is Xelxa (Daxdy is owned by somebody else). :D NOW if I _DID _own Daxdy... -evil laugh- you don't wanna know...

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><p>Chapter 14 (The unofficial Xion chapter, but really Daxdy.)<p>

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><p>Marluxia's POV<p>

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><p>Marluxia sighed boredly, taking in the view of the moonlit castle grounds from his tree in the maze. Superior would only allow him to do the landscaping in the area of his maze; everything else was off limits. After the insane event at dinner, everyone was on edge, waiting for something to happen. Marluxia knew Xigbar had taken post outside of Xemnas's office to see if he could eavesdrop on anything, Vexen had gone to his lab, and Luxord and Xaldin had retired to the Grey Room to play some form of cards. Everyone else just wandered around with nothing to do.<p>

There was something serious going on for Zexion to act so flustered, and if Marluxia was correct, it may have had something to do with Sora and Riku. As far as him, Axel, Zexion, Xemnas, and Saix, none of the other Organization members knew that the Keyblade weilders knew of their existence. It was a dangerous game to play, and nothing good would come of it. Marluxia was vaguely worried, though; Xelxa hadn't reappeared, and if she had come back she would've gone looking for him. More than likely she probably just got distracted- she forgot to eat sometimes so maybe she didn't even think about coming to dinner.

Suddenly, Saix appeared at the foot of Marluxia's tree. If he hadn't heard the portal, Marluxia wouldn't have even known he was there. It probably had something to do with the moon and Saix's powers; nobody really understood them, except for the fact that Saix could go berserk at any moment and bite their heads off. "Meeting. Urgent. Report immediately." And with that, the Luna Diviner disappeared, probably to go tell everyone else.

Curiosity piqued, the Graceful Assassin jumped down from his perch and portalled to his chair in the Round Room. The room kept filling up until Saix portalled in and nodded at Xemnas to begin. But looking around... Xelxa, Daxdy, and Zexion were all missing. Marluxia felt a stone drop into his stomach; what could have happened?

"As you know," Xemnas began,"We have hidden ourselves from the Keyblade weilders since our destruction before." Marluxia heard a gasp from down below and realized that Axis wasn't part of the original XIII. This was all new to her.

"However, in recent events, said persons have found out that we have arisen once again. Tonight at dinner you may have suspected so as Zexion had to leave abruptly. And although precautions were taken, one of our own has been terminated."

Collective intakes of breath were heard around the room- even Marluxia himself inhaled sharply at the thought. He thought of the question everyone else had to have been thinking at that time: Daxdy or Xelxa? As much as he wished and hoped it wasn't true, the sinking feeling he had confirmed his worst fear.

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><p>Zexion's POV<p>

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><p>Peace and quiet at last. When the meeting was over, Vexen had portalled into the lab and relieved Zexion of his caretaker duties. It's not like he didn't enjoy it, but the weight of recent events had crushed his morale to almost nothing. Just when he started to open a book and read, a portal appeared in front of him. Heaving a sigh, Zexion watched as Marluxia stepped out and immediately relax when he saw the bluenette on the couch.<p>

Without even a word of hello, Marluxia demanded, "What happened?" Though Castle Oblivion used to be his, Zexion still hated that Marluxia treated him like a slave. And this was the part Zexion had dreaded for hours.

"Sora and Riku happened. But I'm sure you were already debriefed about this?"

"Specifics, Zexion, I need specifics. _What. Happened?_"

Closing his book, Zexion set it on the coffee table in front of him and leaned forward, looking the gardener in the eyes. "From what I was told, Xelxa was with Daxdy when they happened upon Sora and Riku. They fought and the boys left them for dead."

"_And?_"Marluxia prompted. Zexion could see that mad fire in his eyes, the one he used to have so long ago when he thought he could win against everybody. But he couldn't. Zexion sighed heavily, hating himself for what he was about to say.

"She didn't make it. She had already faded by the time I got there. We almost lost Daxdy too, but I was able to save her with a potion. She's recovering in Vexen's lab as we speak."

Almost immediately a mask replaced the real Marluxia's face. The cold, emotionless side of him came forth, and Zexion knew that it would be there for awhile. Just like when Sephiroth had taken Xelxa before. But this was different, because this time... this time, they couldn't come back.

Marluxia nodded and said thank you before turning away. It was then that Zexion remembered something. He dug something out of his pocket and called out to Marluxia before tossing it towards him. It was a leather bracelet with a rose carved into it.

"She got that for you, I think. She asked me not to tell you where she was when she left to get it."

One more nod, and then the Graceful Assassin turned away, portalling to who knows where. Zexion reached for his book, but then stopped and leaned back against the couch. He knew he wouldn't be able to get any reading done with all of the distractions his mind provided for him. He closed his eyes to rest for just a second, but by the time everyone else came to ask what had happened he was already deep in sleep.

End of Chapter 14

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><p>Hey there guys! I should be updating in a few days (we'll see how it goes) but I really hope you liked my stupid short filler chapter! Review please! XD ~~~You do not know how much this hurts me to say these things that I don't want to say, but have to say them anyway. I would do anything to end your suffering but you would rather walk away. And does it make you sad to find yourself alone?~~~ Not Coming Home by Maroon 5<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hey there guys! I've already written the NEXT chapter too, so... ENJOY! (I guess this is a Christmas and New Year's gift!)

Disclaimer: If you wish upon a star... Yeah, Disney would kill me, not only for copyrighting their song but their game too. ME NO OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!

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><p>Chapter 15 ( YAY XELXA'S CHAPTER! Too bad she DIED!)<p>

"You know the drill. Go to the world I assign you and eliminate all Heartless."

Assorted groans and sighs escaped the lips of the twelve people standing in line. Saix gave them all a warning glare and started rattling off random names and worlds.

It was surprising how he treated every week the same. He acted as if nobody knew what to do and acted like the protests of others were some kind of disgrace. They'd been doing this for HOW long? Yet Saix refused to acknowledge the fact that everybody groaned every single time.

"Zexion." The Cloaked Schemer started, not expecting to hear his name. He partly hoped he got a smaller world. Like maybe the Space Paranoids. "Neverland."

The bluenette grit his teeth in annoyance. He was about to leave when he heard, "Xigbar. Space Paranoids."

Just great...

Zexion started defeating Heartless on the ship's top deck, planning on meticulously working his way down from there. OF COURSE it made sense that he would get one of the larger and more confusing worlds. Trying to assure himself of his worth, Zexion came to the conclusion that he had gotten this world BECAUSE it was so confusing. Some of the others probably couldn't handle such complexity.

Somewhere deep down he wasn't very convinced.

It was when he started walking down the stairs that he smelled it. It was... a clean smell. Almost a sort of soapy clean- linen or some kind of detergent. Sweet but also bitter, like black licorice. He knew he had previously smelled something that was similar, but it was hard to tell because a certain detail jumped out at him: whoever it was had darkness and light at the same time.

That was wrong, though, because no human could have that scent. That much darkness in a human's heart would've consumed them. Riku was the only one able to harness the darkness, and Zexion could tell straightaway that it wasn't him. There wasn't ENOUGH darkness to be him.

Zexion slowly crept around the corner to the captain's hold, following the familiar scent. There was more light than dark, definitely, but other than that he was at a loss at who it could be. Or more specifically, what it could be.

As he got closer, he began to hear sounds of an argument. It was a man and a girl, and as he got closer, he identified the man as Captain Hook. However, the girl's voice was not Wendy's.

"I'll give you one last chance, lass. Where's Peter Pan?"

"I don't know where your peanut butter went, okay?" the girl shouted back. "I had just showed up on the deck when your goons decided to kidnap me and drag me here!"

"Stop lying! Until you decide to speak the truth, you'll be in the brig!" Captain Hook declared. Zexion quickly cloaked himself in an illusion so that if anybody passed by, they wouldn't see him.

Seconds later, the door to the cabin burst open and two men strode by with the girl in between them. The pirate closest to Zexion had blocked his view of the girl's face, but when they passed by he could identify two things. One, the girl had blonde hair, and two, she was the one who smelled like the darkness.

From previous trips, Zexion knew that the brig was two floors below him. The curiosity of wanting to see who this girl was mounted considerably, yet the rational side of him suggested he do his work and speak to the girl when he got there. So he begrudgingly began his slow process of walking a few steps, casting a spell to kill the Heartless, walking a few steps, casting a spell, walking a few steps...

Finally he was here. From outside the door, Zexion could hear the girl laughing. He had no idea how she she could be laughing in a situation as dire as hers, but...

Looking through his lexicon, he selected a spell that would help him walk through walls. He wanted to analyze the girl without her knowing, and this was the only way to get in the room without attracting her attention. He whispered the spell to himself and, still invisible, slipped through the wood to the other side.

The first observation he made was that the girl had brown hair, not blonde. Although it was a light brown- the color resembled wet sand on a beach. The second he actually assessed the situation, he froze. At the exact same time the girl stiffened and sat up, looking straight where Zexion was standing.

Which didn't make sense because he knew for a fact he was invisible.

"Who's there?" she asked, her hand resting on the Heartless she had been playing with. But that wasn't the most shocking.

The most shocking thing was the fact that Zexion was staring into the eyes of the girl he knew had died almost three weeks ago.

End of Chapter 15

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><p>SUP! Yeah, you don't have to tell me, <em><strong>PRETTY AWESOME<strong>_! XD Thanks for reading guys, please review! ~~~ Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood for shame, she says, "None for you, dear Prince, I'm tired today. I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming." 'Cause I don't care for your fairytales. You're so worried 'bout the maiden though you know she's only waiting on the next best thing. ~~~ Fairytale by Sara Bareilles (I wonder ifshe got in trouble for copyrighting?)


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey there guys! I realized when I looked for this document in my email that it was written 7 months ago... and that I was so lazy to do that filler chapter that I totally had to read over this to remember what had happened... -facepalm- please excuse my absence, hopefully I'll be updating more often.

Disclaimer: This is madness! ... No. This. Is. KINGDOM HEARTS! (and it's not owned by me.)

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

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><p>Zexion's POV<p>

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><p>Zexion forced his mind to slow down as Xelxa-who-wasn't-Xelxa impossibly glared at him. Maybe he was over-thinking this. Some part of him probably wanted her to be Xelxa, and since this girl looked similar he had immediately jumped to conclusions. So Zexion made himself pause and take in every feature on the girl and compare them to his memory.<p>

The hair color was different- shoulder length and brown instead of black, although it still looked just as thick and wavy as number XV's. The face was the same, the height looked just about right, and Zexion doubted that anyone else had violet eyes like that.

Zexion could only come to the conclusion that this was the same person.

Something was off, though. She looked... younger, not as harsh. Innocent. There was a certain... softness to her. One thing was for sure- she had a heart. But there was something else nagging at him...

"One more chance," she announced shakily. He could see in her eyes that she was trying to be brave, but her voice betrayed the fear. "Show yourself or I'll be forced to send my vicious pet after you."

From what Zexion had seen in this world, whenever there was a prisoner in the brig, the pirates would patrol the area every 15 to 20 minutes to check up on the prisoner. They wouldn't look _inside _the room, but Zexion wasn't so sure. He kept his illusion going just in case because if they did so happen to spot him... Well, that was a thought for another time. He stepped forward, and as he did Xelxa (if that was still her name) shrank back like she could see him. The Heartless, however, became more agitated and swiped at the bluenette. It was almost as if it was protecting her.

"Leo! Back!" Xelxa commanded, and the Heartless began to slink towards her. If it took her heart, how else would Zexion be able to figure out the way to get the Organization's hearts back? Panicking, he did the only thing he could think of- the Nobody shot a spell at the shadow.

It was a simple spell, nothing too complex. It was one of Zexion's most used. When the spell hit its target, wherever it touched would create a gash not unsimilar to the slash of a knife. Usually it worked well on Heartless, cutting just deep enough to kill.

But it didn't hit the shadow this time. At the last second, the girl flung her hand out, catching the purple ball of energy before it hit the thing she had dubbed "Leo". A large wound immediately appeared on the palm of her hand and it began to weep crimson blood. Before Zexion could utter a word, the Heartless behind her started to grow until he was facing a black, shadowy mass shaped exactly like the Xelxa he knew from the Organization, cloak and all.

A striking thought came to him upon seeing this creature- what if this was all a hallucination? What it he was going insa-

Those thoughts were immediately erased from his mind as the black hand of the apparition slapped him full across the face, sending him tumbling back onto some barrels. His concentration had been shattered and he dropped his glamour, now visible to anyone who looked.

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><p>?'s POV<p>

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><p>My dark shadow swung her hand, and the curious invisible person was smacked to the other side of the room, landing on some barrels.<p>

And I could see him.

He was handsome, I admit. He was wearing a big black cloak over his clothes and black shoes. Blueish-gray hair completely covered the left side of his face, extending all the way down to his collarbone while a few chin-length strands hung on the right. Other than that his hair was very short and spiked down. The one eye that I could see was a beautiful cerulean blue, and his aura was dazzling, even while he was in pain.

Blue and indigo dominated, making him highly intuitive, loyal, moody, creative, somewhat sensitive, and kind. A dash of yellow showed his intellect and indecisiveness while red showed his strength, but the gray sadness dampened the mix. Who was he? I could feel something nagging at me, urging me to listen, but the more I tried to grasp it the further it slipped away until I had nothing.

Leo, or I guess the shadowy girl, lunged onto the... Man? Boy? He looked to be around 18, so I guess he was a teenager. She wrapped her hands around his neck and squeezed while the boy attempted to fight her off. It wasn't until his face started to turn blue that I realized she was suffocating him. I gasped and scrambled over, pulling Leo off of him and slamming and holding her down on the ground while she struggled to eliminate what she thought was a threat.

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><p>Zexion's POV<p>

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><p>The shadow jumped on top of Zexion and closed its cold, clammy hands around his windpipe, making him choke and gasp and sputter as he tried to grab its hands and push it off. The stars were starting to obscure his vision when he heard a gasp, and then suddenly delicious air flooded into his lungs so quickly that he almost choked on it. When he could see again he sat up and couldn't believe his eyes. The Xelxa with a heart was sitting on top of the shadow and holding it down as it reached for him, it's clawed hand glowing with what looked like electricity.<p>

"Leo! No!" cried the girl as she lifted up the apparition and slammed it back down again. This got its attention, and it looked up into the girl's face, it's yellow lamplight eyes completely focused and unblinking. And that's when the thing that had been nagging Zexion clicked. The Xelxa with a heart had no shadow.

In fact, there wasn't any darkness in her heart at all. It's as if all of the shadows inside of her manifested themselves outside of her body into something that, while maybe not completely controllable, protected her in a time of need. And then something even stranger happened. The dark specter began to be sucked into the living girl until it was no more and the Xelxa with a heart had a complete shadow on the wall beside her.

She sat still for a moment before peering up slowly to examine him, stopping when her gaze rested in his.

"Who are you?" he asked, and to this she just shook her head sadly.

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><p>?'s POV<p>

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><p>When he asked me who I was, I couldn't help but shake my head because to tell you the truth, I really didn't know. I woke up in this world and got kidnapped by pirates who are obsessed with Peter Pan brand peanut butter. I got locked in the brig where a cute bug thing materialized and played with me. Then an aura appeared in front of me, but no person was to be found. After I got hurt from trying to protect my bug friend Leo, heshe turned into a black shadowy person and tried to strangle the now-visible guy. So here I am, trying to explain that quite honestly I have no idea what's going on even though I stopped Leo from murdering that boy.

It's so sad when you don't know your own name. The only look at my face I had gotten was a glimpse in the mirror in the Captain's office, and the only thing I saw was my brown hair and a flash of violet before I was tugged along.

And my past was a big blank- a gaping hole full of nothing. No names, no colors, no thoughts, just black. But it wasn't normal black. It was a roiling black, a sea of shadows and everything evil. Was that what I was- a creature born of darkness? Was that where Leo came from? But... I was good right? I didn't want to hurt anybody or anything, I didn't have any hate. To be honest, I was more concerned with what I was than who I was.

"You sincerely don't remember?" the boy asked sensing my turmoil, and I couldn't help but think he knew something I didn't.

I shook my head silently, a little sad and embarrassed. Why does amnesia have to strike me of all people? I looked down, trying to concentrate on my memory when I saw that most of my left hand and arm were covered in blood. I winced and tried to rub the dried blood away, only succeeding in making my hand even more sore.

"Here, let me get that." The bluenette kneeled in front of me and took my hand, whispering a few words and then poof! My wound and all of the blood was gone, no trace whatsoever of even a scratch. With wide eyes I looked up at him, blushing a little when I saw him staring just as intently right back at me.

"H-how did you-? Was that... Magic?" I whispered in awe. What was this? How can magic even exist? Was he... a wizard? My breath caught expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, it's magic. Something not completely uncommon, I assure you."

"But-" I realized I was still whispering and cleared my throat before speaking normally. "But how can you do it? Are you like a wizard or a sorcerer? Will you teach me?"

A spark of excitement blew up inside of me as I fantasized about being able to do magic. I could do anything! I could fly, I could clean my room with a flick of a finger, I could-

"I may, in due time. I can't make any promises that you'll be capable to control it. You may not have the gift anymore."

I felt my face fall, and I silently scolded myself for hoping before I had all of the facts. I was only setting myself up for disappointment. There was something in his sentence though... Something that didn't quite fit... And then it hit me.

"Wait... You said 'anymore'. Does that mean... I had it? Does that mean- wait! You knew me! Before I forgot! You did, didn't you? You- you can help me remember!"

I grinned and threw my arms around him, hugging tightly. I now had a reason I could trust him.

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><p>Zexion's POV<p>

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><p>It was like the clouds lifted from her face, and then Zexion found that she was embracing him. He shifted uncomfortably, not used to such visible affection from someone he hadn't known that well.<p>

The thing was... he hadn't exactly planned on giving her memories back. He wasn't exactly sure WHAT he was going to do, but just handing them to her was not an option. He knew it was cruel, but the curious side of him couldn't help but think of this excellent opportunity to run tests, do experiments, things of that nature because that was his first instinct.

And he knew that he didn't want to give her to Vexen. But... Vexen was the lead scientist. Zexion knew without a doubt that Xemnas wouldn't listen to him, even if he DID claim that since he found her he should be able to lead the tests.

He was startled when he realized that a part of him was urging him not to tell Xemnas. But that was treason! And still he thought about how nobody would know. As far as they were concerned, Xelxa was dead. And yet how could he keep this from Marluxia? He was torn apart by her death, and Zexion had the only way to help him. But then he would have to expose this Somebody, because it would be too suspicious if Marluxia miraculously became better.

No, it was better if he hid her. And then his thoughts immediately sprang to Daxdy, who had disappeared a week after Xelxa faded. Where had she gone? A twinge of "feeling" shot through him once more, and he found himself missing her even more than usual. He tried to keep himself busy, but sometimes it just got to him. Zexion gently pushed the new Xelxa off of him and stared into her eyes intently.

"You need to tell me everything you remember before waking up. Search your heart, your mind, do whatever you have to do. But I need to know before we start trying to get your other memories back. Can you do that?"

She nodded vigorously and got into a more comfortable sitting position before closing her eyes and biting her lip. Zexion stared at her expectantly. Hopefully this worked.

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><p>?'s POV<p>

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><p>I delved into the deep recesses of my mind, trying to locate anything that pointed to who I might've been. Nothing. Just black, black black. But what was before the black? Focused on my goal, I tried to dig deeper.<p>

And I saw it. A tiny light. And there was another! More and more! Soon there were tons of them- bright little pin-pricks of white, so far away. And then I remembered.

My eyes snapped open, startling the boy. He looked almost as focused as I had been. I laughed a little, but then realized that I shouldn't be. He looked really displeased that I was distracted.

"Well?" he asked urgently. "What did you see?"

"I saw... stars."

He sighed exasperatedly, and I knew I had failed him.

"I'm sorry, uh... What's your name? And... what's mine?"

The bluenette looked up at me surprisedly. I guess introductions were the least of his worries.

"My name is Zexion. As for yours... It's something I cannot give. For now you'll be addressed as... Kipko."

I was a little confused as to why he couldn't tell me my own name. But I guess he must've had a good reason or he would've just outright lied. I pushed the unwelcome thoughts away smiling and said, "Hello, Zexion! I'm Kip!"

End of Chapter 16

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><p>Hey there guys! Hope you liked this chapter! (I couldn't help but think of Harry Potter when writing about Zexion being a wizard, lol) SOOO I don't know when I'll update this next, but I'm sure I'll get to it soon. BYE! ~~~A lonely speaker in a conversation- her words are spinning through his ears again. There's nothing wrong with just a taste of what you've paid for. Say what you mean, tell me I'm right and let the sun rain down on me. Give me a sign, I want to believe...~~~ The Ballad of Mona Lisa by Panic! At The Disco<p> 


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